<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>triangulum by JillianEmily</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23939266">triangulum</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JillianEmily/pseuds/JillianEmily'>JillianEmily</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Adventure &amp; Romance, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Space, Astrophysics, Drama &amp; Romance, F/M, Gen, millions and millions of years into the future, percabeth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:41:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>60,963</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23939266</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JillianEmily/pseuds/JillianEmily</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"10,254,789 lightyears remaining until entrance to Centaurus A." OR Astrophysicists Percy and Annabeth are handpicked by NASA to travel across the universe to another galaxy in attempt to save humanity, but then something goes severely wrong, and spending the rest of eternity with each other is suddenly the least of their worries.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Jason Grace/Piper McLean</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>126</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>originally posted on fanfiction.net on 04/21/2020</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Guidance, navigation, and controls, come in.”</em>
</p>
<p>Annabeth adjusted her headset, moving the microphone closer to her mouth to respond to the flight director and resumed tracking the data filling her screen. “Vehicle is on track. Entering the atmosphere in minutes.”</p>
<p>She watched as the computer sitting in front of her presented endless numbers that were constantly regenerating themselves. Her stormy eyes ran across the screen, watching the trajectory of the shuttle and listening to the people speaking in her ears to ensure the controls were ready to go as the space shuttle pierced the top layer of the atmosphere.</p>
<p>Annabeth clicked on her live graph, watching as it showed the shuttle prepared to land in the midst of the vast ocean. “The landing should be smooth. Trajectory is right towards Kennedy Space Center in Florida.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Alright, flight dynamics, let’s prepare to maneuver them to safety. Is the shuttle ready to lock onto the landing strip?”</em>
</p>
<p>Someone called out from across the room of Mission Control in Houston, Texas. “Shuttle is presenting well. Engaging the landing gear.”</p>
<p>“Wait!” Annabeth called out, moving herself closer to the screen. The numbers didn’t match. “Something’s wrong.”</p>
<p>Chiron, the flight director, snapped his head towards her. <em>“GNC, what is it?”</em></p>
<p>“The trajectory isn’t towards Florida anymore. It switched towards the Atlantic Ocean.” She fretted over the numbers. The shuttle hadn’t entered the atmosphere at the right angle, and flight dynamics hadn’t corrected it in time.</p>
<p>Chiron pressed a button to call onto his microphone. <em>“Pilot, come in. Engage manual navigation.”</em></p>
<p>Someone came over the crackly line<em>. “Manual navigation engaged. Houston, where am I navigating to?”</em></p>
<p>Annabeth shook her head, biting her lip. “They’re off east by almost a thousand miles. They need to get closer to the coast.”</p>
<p>Chiron responded to the pilot. <em>“Get a thousand miles west. You’re nowhere near Kennedy Space Center.”</em></p>
<p>
  <em>“Moving west one thousand miles, in three, two, one…”</em>
</p>
<p>Annabeth watched as the numbers across her screen spiked, the shuttle tilting dangerously as it made almost a forty-five-degree turn. Her heart pounded inside her chest, the numbers continuing to grow alarmingly fast.</p>
<p>
  <em>“How’s it look, Chase?”</em>
</p>
<p>She stayed silent, moving her eyes around the screen and her brain calculating the new trajectory. Come on… She let out a sigh of relief as her screen glowed green again. “Back in trajectory. Landing in t-minus five minutes.”</p>
<p>The mission control room continued talking in nervous chatters, examining every single detail of the flight, and every possibility of what could go wrong. For good reason, too.</p>
<p>The United States had been searching for ways to travel faster for millions of years. Entering the twenty first century, NASA had discovered galaxies millions of lightyears away, and mankind wanted to travel to them. It had taken millions of years, but they had finally done it. Two million years after entering the year 2000, the United States made the biggest discovery yet.</p>
<p>Travelling at the speed of light.</p>
<p>Space was something of an alternate reality. The universe was constantly expanding, and galaxies were moving at speeds unimaginable to the human mind. Annabeth fell in love with the idea of space travel as a child, and she just knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life living with it; living in it.</p>
<p>However, when the rest of world discovered travelling at the speed of light, it was chaos. People argued it provided mankind with too much power. After all, were humans ever really supposed to have the power to travel to galaxies far away? To travel across the universe and back? There was so much that could go wrong travelling at the speed of light. No one knew the effect it had on the human body, or what lies beyond the speed of light. If someone was to travel faster than the speed of light, they’d theoretically travel into the past, moving faster than the light they were seeing at all.</p>
<p>It was things like this that drew people away from space. People were scared of what lies beyond the safety of our galaxy, or even our solar system. There was no point in leaving the comfort of our home if we didn’t absolutely have to. Annabeth supposed that was true, but what happens when billions of years pass by?</p>
<p>The sun is going to explode eventually. It may not be now, or any time in the near future, but it will happen, and Annabeth wanted to be prepared. Life on Earth would end faster than people realized, assuming that the human race doesn’t end itself before that. Even if the sun didn’t explode, the collision with the Andromeda Galaxy, or some crazy black hole, or the unknown great attractor would do humans all in at one point or another.</p>
<p>The human race needed a backup plan, but everyone was too scared of what it could mean. As the years went on and centuries passed, life involving space became more and more rare. Astrophysicists dropped, astronauts were rare, astronomers were practically nonexistent. This left people like Annabeth to fend for life on Earth. People like Annabeth were the only hope to save humanity from an inevitable end.</p>
<p>People regarded space-lovers as insane, as death-seeking. Annabeth’s parents weren’t encouraging in her idea of studying the universe in itself. When Annabeth told them she wanted to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona, they went crazy. Their prized daughter wanted to study space? How dare she.</p>
<p>Despite their concerns, and the stigma surrounding space travel, she did it anyways. Now here she was at twenty-six years old, helping NASA run the top mission in all of the space program’s existence. The program spent the last few centuries putting people into space to travel at the speed of light while orbiting the planet to study the effects of travelling at the speed of light. People spent a few months at a time travelling 300,000 kilometers per second, and groups of scientists would repetitively study the body’s mass and density.</p>
<p>The day finally came when the last shuttle was coming down to Earth. The travelling at the speed of light was studied for hundreds of millions of years after its initial discovery two million years after 2000, and it would finally be put to use. Annabeth didn’t know who would be going into space, or where they’d be going, but it was going to be the biggest deal of the entire millennia. Or, you know, the entire existence of humanity on Earth. Same difference.</p>
<p>Annabeth’s mind was brought back to the present as someone’s voice rang out. A rather annoying voice, in Annabeth’s opinion.</p>
<p>“Trajectory is perfect,” Percy said into his headset, leaning forwards and tracing the screen with his emerald eyes.</p>
<p>Annabeth repressed a groan. She fixed the flight dynamic officer’s mistake and <em>now</em> he was paying attention? How typical of him. “Switching back to automatic navigation.”</p>
<p>Chiron rolled his wheelchair around the metal walk of the mission control center, overlooking the entire room. “Everyone be prepared for landing. We’re getting close people. Less than a minute now.”</p>
<p>Annabeth’s heart soared. She really couldn’t believe she was here. She was probably the youngest person in the room, and she held such an important role in the mission. This last landing marked the beginning of the future. The whole world was watching, their breaths caught in their throats as they awaited the final landing. The mark that really made travelling at the speed of light official.</p>
<p>Chiron stopped the rolling of his chair. “Landing in three…”</p>
<p>Annabeth’s brain went into overdrive, watching every single number dance its way across her screen. The room was eerily quiet except for the beeping of machines.</p>
<p>“Two…”</p>
<p>Annabeth held her breath, her hands at the ready over her keyboard.</p>
<p>“One…”</p>
<p>The live image of the space shuttle locking onto ground at Kennedy Space Center played, and everyone in the room seemingly released a breath at once. The room stayed in silence, awaiting the flight director’s official declaration.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Mission complete.”</em>
</p>
<p>The room rang out in applause Annabeth leaned back into her chair with a heaving breath and a smile plastered onto her face. The future was no longer the future. The future was now, and Annabeth was <em>so</em>ready for it.</p>
<p>“Nice work,” her desk neighbor whispered over her shoulder, lifting his hand for a high five.</p>
<p>Annabeth obliged, meeting Malcolm’s hand. “I can’t believe this day has finally come.”</p>
<p>“It’s felt like it would never end, right?”</p>
<p>“Seriously, though,” she agreed, taking off her headset and setting them onto her desk. She ran her fingers through her curls. “Who do you think’s going to be next? I heard they’ve been working on a real mission, travelling across different galaxies.”</p>
<p>Malcolm snorted. “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t want to be that person. No one’s ever been that far, and it’s probably pretty risky. If NASA isn’t even telling the highest officers at mission control who’s leaving the galaxy in the next month, then it’s a pretty big deal.”</p>
<p>“They’ve been planning a mission since the studies of long-term effects began millions of years ago, before any of us, or any name we’ve ever heard, were born. I can barely even comprehend it. I just can’t believe it’s here.”</p>
<p>Malcolm hummed in agreement, looking over a few of his numbers again even though the mission was over. “It’s either the beginning of a new era, or the beginning of the end.”</p>
<p>“Way to be negative. I thought you loved space travel.”</p>
<p>“And I do, but I don’t know if I’d want to spend years actually doing it myself so much as spend years helping others do it.”</p>
<p>Annabeth considered this. “Fair enough.”</p>
<p>“Annabeth Chase,” Chiron called out loudly over the railing of the room. “I need to speak with you privately.”</p>
<p>Malcolm glanced at her sympathetically. “Trouble?”</p>
<p>“Better not be,” she hissed through her teeth as she stood. “That trajectory problem falls under Percy’s job description.”</p>
<p>Percy guffawed loudly, and Annabeth turned to glare at him as she passed him by. “Someone’s in trouble. That’s why we don’t let <em>babies</em> into mission control.”</p>
<p>“What part of me screams baby?” she retorted, approaching Chiron on the ramp. “Is it my ass that you always stare at, or the boobs?”</p>
<p>“It was your age, actually.” Percy leaned back into his seat. “Have fun with the ass-chewing.”</p>
<p>Chiron’s eyes twinkled. “Actually, Percy. I need to speak with you too. Come along.”</p>
<p>Percy’s face fell. Annabeth’s face did the exact opposite. As Chiron began to roll himself away, Annabeth flipped Percy off behind Chiron’s back, giving him a mocking grin.</p>
<p>“Move,” Percy said, pushing her out of his way as he jogged over to Chiron’s side. “Sir? Is this about the trajectory mishap? Because I’d just like to say that it was all Annabeth’s doing.”</p>
<p>Annabeth smacked the back of his head aggressively. “It was not.”</p>
<p>“You’re the one who brought it up.”</p>
<p>Chiron interrupted. “I believe the system’s trajectory falls under the flight dynamics officer, Percy. You should thank Miss Chase for her assistance.”</p>
<p>Percy wrinkled his nose in disgust, blatantly ignoring Chiron’s suggestion. “Why do you need to talk to us, then?”</p>
<p>“Let us get to my office first.”</p>
<p>Annabeth trailed behind Chiron and his ass-kissing leech, Percy. They worked their way out the halls of the space center, passing a few stray workers. The industry really <em>has</em> shrunk.</p>
<p>“Here we are,” Chiron said, holding open the glass door for Percy and Annabeth to walk in. “Have a seat.”</p>
<p>Annabeth sat in a black cushioned chair, and Percy took a reluctant seat beside her, eyeing her like she’d bite him at any second. Annabeth rolled her eyes as she watched him pointedly glare at her.</p>
<p>“Is everything okay?” Annabeth asked Chiron as he shut the door.</p>
<p>“Everything’s fine. I just need to have a conversation with the two of you.”</p>
<p>“This is because Annabeth’s always picking fights, isn’t it? Don’t worry, I totally agree.”</p>
<p>Chiron chuckled. “It’s not about that, though you may want to fix that rather quickly.”</p>
<p>Annabeth paused. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>Chiron took a deep breath and leaned forwards onto his desk to cross his arms. “The upcoming mission is set to take place in a month.”</p>
<p>The mood in the room settled darkly. Annabeth’s stomach dropped. “What about this mission?”</p>
<p>“The official details came out to me yesterday. The crew members are to be travelling to Centaurus A to explore the planets we’ve found to be in the goldilocks zone.”</p>
<p>Annabeth’s mouth dropped. “But… that’s over thirteen <em>million</em> lightyears away!”</p>
<p>Chiron nodded grimly. “It will take thirteen million years to get to, and the people who go won’t be returning back. It is a difficult mission. People will be leaving their loved ones and everything they’ve ever known. They won’t be coming back alive.”</p>
<p>Annabeth bit her lip, peeling the chapped skin painfully.</p>
<p>Percy spoke up for the first time. “I don’t understand. Why are you telling us this?”</p>
<p>“I’ve been contacted by the official NASA mission director.” Chiron took a deep breath. “They want you on that mission.”</p>
<p>Annabeth actually choked on air. “<em>What?”</em></p>
<p>“They’ve asked for you two by name to play a part in this mission.”</p>
<p>Percy looked pained. “Play a part from Earth, right?”</p>
<p>Chiron looked at him sadly. “They want you on that flight.”</p>
<p>“But that’s not possible! Thirteen million years will kill us!”</p>
<p>“NASA has been working underground for longer than you can imagine. We’ve known about travelling at the speed of light for over four hundred million years. Did you really think they weren’t working on other aspects of space travel?”</p>
<p><em>“How?”</em> Percy persisted. “How are we expected to travel for thirteen million years without dying?”</p>
<p>Chiron’s face was neutral. “Cryosleep.”</p>
<p>“That doesn’t even exist!”</p>
<p>Chiron sighed. “It didn’t exist in the twenty-first century because we didn’t even know how to travel at the speed of light then. Once we discovered travelling at the speed of light, NASA began working on other ways to survive such a trip. Cryosleep is now a very real concept.”</p>
<p>Annabeth tried to wrap her head around everything. NASA wanted her to travel across the Milky Way all the way to Centaurus A using <em>cryosleep</em>. Essentially, she’ll be dead for thirteen million years. What the actual fuck.</p>
<p>“Is cryosleep even safe for such long periods of time?” she asked.</p>
<p>Chiron nodded. “You seem to have forgotten that this was discovered hundreds of million years ago. It’s certainly been tested on intervals much longer than thirteen million years.”</p>
<p>“Can’t we just travel through wormholes or something?”</p>
<p>Chiron clicked his teeth. “Don’t be silly, Percy. You know wormholes are only theoretical.”</p>
<p>Percy looked at a loss for words. “<em>Right</em>.”</p>
<p>“Anyways,” Chiron continued. “Listen to the rest of the details. There will be around a hundred other people with you two. The ship is rather large; much larger than a regular space shuttle. This ship has been built for millions of years as well, and it is accommodated to living a life of luxury. It will become your new home, if you decide to accept the mission.”</p>
<p>“What are we even going to be doing there?” Annabeth asked nervously.</p>
<p>“You’ll be searching for a safer life in different galaxies. The world here is nearing an end, as you both know. There’s still billions of years before the sun wipes us out once and for all, but we have bigger problems that haven’t been released to the public.” Chiron sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. “Pollution levels have reached critical. We only have around a hundred million years of this planet being habitable. Not everyone can be saved, but we can try our best.”</p>
<p>Annabeth wanted to cry. This was all so much. “Why aren’t we searching closer to Earth then? The Andromeda galaxy is much closer!”</p>
<p>“We’ve found planets that are more promising in Centaurus A. It’s the only hope for survival anymore. It’s an achievement in itself that we’ve survived this long.”</p>
<p>Percy looked up from where his eyes were glued to the ground. His eyes shone like he was about to break down in tears. “I don’t get it. Why us?”</p>
<p>“You’re the two smartest people at this mission control.”</p>
<p>“Why not anyone else? With more experience?”</p>
<p>“Now, Percy, there will be other people. Each country is providing their top aeronautical people. Astrophysicists, astronomers, aerospace engineers, surgeons and doctors, data analysts like you two. People from Russia, China, even Germany and many more countries, will have people there.”</p>
<p>Annabeth protested. “But I’m only twenty-six! Am I even allowed to be an astronaut?”</p>
<p>“Twenty-six is young, yes, but not impossible. You’ve worked your way to the top of mission control by twenty-six years old. You studied at the best aeronautical university in the country, with a double major in astrophysics and aerospace engineering. You’re more prepared for this job than anyone else in the state of Texas, and maybe even in the country.”</p>
<p>“Then why was <em>I</em> picked for this?” Percy asked, biting on his thumb nail.</p>
<p>“You’re twenty-nine?”</p>
<p>Percy nodded.</p>
<p>“Well, you’re the best flight dynamics officer this place has seen in a long time. Maybe even its entire existence.” Chiron chuckled humorlessly. “Not to mention, you’re young. You’re both young.”</p>
<p>Percy tilted his head. “Is that important?”</p>
<p>“NASA wants only the best and healthiest people aboard the spacecraft. It makes cryosleep easier and the crew more likely to adapt and survive.”</p>
<p>“So, there won’t be any older people?”</p>
<p>Chiron thought. “I suppose there will be, but very few. I suspect you two were chosen for more than just the health benefits of your age.”</p>
<p>“What’s that supposed to mean?” Annabeth said, puzzled.</p>
<p>“Reproduction.”</p>
<p>A beat passed.</p>
<p>Percy scoffed. “Ha! You got me there! I’m not having babies with her,” he said with a point over his left shoulder.</p>
<p>Annabeth glared at him. Having kids was a two-way street and believe her when she says he doesn’t need to worry about having kids with her.</p>
<p>“You’re both very young and it’s pointless to travel so far only to go extinct as a species. I’m not saying you’re going to have kids with her, or have kids at all, but that is what NASA is expecting of you if you accept this operation.”</p>
<p>Annabeth ran her fingers through her hair to massage her scalp. This was giving her a headache. “So, I was chosen to have <em>babies</em>?”</p>
<p>“You were chosen because you’re the best fit for the job. Being fertile is only a bonus, because believe me when I say you wouldn’t be on this job if you weren’t the perfect fit for it.” Chiron breathed out and ran his hands down his legs. “You have time to think about it, but they want an answer sooner rather than later. It’s not going to be easy, and the chances of you ever returning to Earth are very slim. You need to be prepared to say goodbye to everyone and everything you love, because even if you somehow made it back, they won’t be here waiting for you.”</p>
<p>Annabeth closed her eyes, holding back tears. This was just too much. Her love for space wasn’t supposed to turn into <em>this.</em></p>
<p>“If you choose to accept, you will be leaving out of Florida in a month, and you’ll be attending a meeting with the rest of the crew. It is a big commitment, but you wouldn’t have been chosen if they didn’t think you could do it. If <em>I</em> didn’t think you could do it.”</p>
<p>Annabeth wiped a tear from the corner of her eye before it fell. She didn’t know how she would say goodbye; if she <em>could</em> say goodbye. Everything was just so… sudden. She was literally just working in Mission Control twenty minutes ago, and now she was expected to show up on a death mission? Somehow, her life really did just change right before her eyes.</p>
<hr/>
<p>That night, Annabeth found herself in the cafeteria of the space center in Texas. She hadn’t even bothered going home, knowing that she would never actually end up falling asleep. She doesn’t know if anyone could sleep after knowing that they might be leaving the country, the world, the solar system, the <em>galaxy</em>, for the rest of their life.</p>
<p>Annabeth absentmindedly stirred a cup of black coffee in her hand with a wooden stick. The coffee had gone cold hours ago as her mind travelled to another universe. Ha, how fitting.</p>
<p>She doesn’t know if she could leave everyone behind. She has such a deep love for space and wishes for nothing more than to travel the universe. If she could be in any other place in the universe at this moment, she would do it in a heartbeat. But to travel somewhere else in the universe for over thirteen million years? It was unheard of.</p>
<p>Her mind races at everything that leaving the comfort of her own planet could bring. She could travel far, and never see her friends and family, never have a chance of finding love, for a chance to explore the universe. Even if everything went as planned, she’d spend the rest of her life just thinking of what could’ve been. If she doesn’t go, she’ll still spend her life thinking of what could’ve been. She was stuck, no matter what she decided, and she hated that.</p>
<p>Annabeth remembers herself as a little girl, gazing up at the sky lined with stars. The stars covered the night sky like dots of glittering paint against an endless black canvas. It was so surreal, and she knew in that moment that she wanted to go to those stars. She spent her whole life trying to reach those stars, but in this moment, she hesitated. Is this <em>really</em> what she wants?</p>
<p>Part of her screams out to the night sky. She is drawn to it, she can see herself on board the ship, her face pressed against the thick glass, staring at the stars she’s going to near, and the galaxy she’s going to be in at some point. She wants nothing more than to leave in that instant, to follow her heart, follow her desires, find her voice and her freedom. She wants to <em>live</em>.</p>
<p>The other part of her wants her to run as far as possible. Space is dangerous, unknown. Space is unpredictable and never ending. Space is impossible, and that’s all anyone had ever told her. She hears her mother screaming into her ear, telling her she’s ridiculous for even considering it, that it’s the worst idea, that she’s going to end up dead, lost in space. Annabeth doesn’t know if she can just leave everything behind. Spend the rest of her life surrounded by space, by a vast nothingness. She doesn’t know if everything she has ever wanted is worth it.</p>
<p>Space is scary. Space is filled with black holes which have a million theories in themselves. Do they empty into theoretical white holes? Is there a whole other universe inside? Is it possible to survive past the event horizon? Space is time warps and wormholes, planets and galaxies, life and death. Space is filled with explosions, from glowing quasars to forming stars. Space is art, from twinkling nebulas to soaring asteroids. Space is beautiful.</p>
<p>Space is everything Annabeth’s dreamed of and ran from all at once.</p>
<p>She dropped her head onto her hands with a groan, pushing her coffee aside. She wasn’t going anywhere except in circles, apparently. She wanted to badly to take the offer; she wouldn’t be getting another anytime soon. She fears if she doesn’t take the offer, she’ll regret it for the rest of her life.</p>
<p>“You look miserable,” Percy stated blandly, sliding down into a chair across from her. He held a steaming coffee in his own hands.</p>
<p>Annabeth looked up, and she had dark circles under her eyes, not that Percy could see in the dim lighting of the cafeteria. “I <em>am</em> miserable.”</p>
<p>Percy sighed and set his own coffee down. “Me too. Do you know what you’re going to do?”</p>
<p>“I’ve got no idea. Come to brag about having your decision down or something?”</p>
<p>Percy smirked mirthlessly and took a sip of his steaming coffee. “I’ve come to see if you wanted to talk it out, because I’m going crazy trying to make a decision myself.”</p>
<p>Annabeth crossed her arms and leaned onto them on the table. “I feel like you’d talk me into one decision, like staying home, and then take the other.”</p>
<p>Percy looked at her softly. “Can we pretend we’re not enemies for two seconds? Yeah, maybe if it was a job promotion, I’d do that, but we’re talking about a lifetime thirteen million lightyears away.”</p>
<p>Annabeth sniffed and rubbed her eyes. “Fine. What do you have so far?”</p>
<p>“Just about nothing. I was hoping you’d go first.”</p>
<p>“I’ve just been rambling on in my head.”</p>
<p>Percy waved his hand to motion her to continue. “Rant out loud.”</p>
<p>Annabeth sat back in her chair, covering her shivering arms with her hands. “Well, I want to go because this is literally my dream. I’ve always wanted to explore, and it’s the reason I got into this field in the first place. I just don’t know if I can leave everything behind. If it was just another sun, maybe two lightyears, I’d do it without a doubt. But thirteen million? That’s so much bigger.”</p>
<p>Percy nodded. “Thirteen million years is a long time to live.”</p>
<p>“We aren’t supposed to live that long. We’re breaking the laws of humanity. Imagine saying, ‘Hi! I’m thirteen million years old!’”</p>
<p>Percy snorted and sipped his drink again. “Why don’t you tell me what you could gain from it, and what you could lose?”</p>
<p>“Do you really want me to just keep rambling?”</p>
<p>“Believe me, you’re helping me so much by just talking. Continue on.”</p>
<p>Annabeth blew out air, squeezing her own arms comfortingly. “Well, I could gain experience. I accomplish my life-long dream and I get to do something no one’s ever done before. I live for space exploration and I want to see another world with my own eyes. It’s just something I’ll never get to experience again. Space is just so perfect, and it’s almost a fragile beauty. I don’t want to miss this opportunity.”</p>
<p>“If it’s everything you’ve ever wanted, then what’s holding you back?”</p>
<p>“I guess it’s the thought of everything that could go wrong. It’s just not a safe experience. Going to a star is close enough that they could send help within a few years if we need it. Going to Centaurus A is so far that if one generation was seventy-five years, it would still take 173 thousand generations to send help.”</p>
<p>“What are you scared of going wrong?”</p>
<p>“Running out of power on the ship, or electricity to keep us going. What if cryosleep malfunctions, or something breaks and none of us can fix it?”</p>
<p>“We’re going to have to trust that the people they chose are capable of fixing whatever problems pop up. It’s just a part of space, and it happens to people who are just living on the international space station. It’s going to happen, but we’ll know how to fix it.”</p>
<p>“But if we don’t,” persisted Annabeth. “We have to call back to Houston, and having waves travel that far? It’s risky.”</p>
<p>Percy considered this for a second. “That might’ve been true in the past, but we’ve found ways to send signals faster, just like we discovered travelling at the speed of light.”</p>
<p>“But is it fast enough? That’s what I’m worried of. That’s not even involving personal issues.”</p>
<p>“And what are those personal issues?”</p>
<p>“My mother. She doesn’t even want me working here, let alone in a foreign galaxy. I’d have to leave my friends and family, and they’d just make it harder by telling me what a big mistake I’d be making. They’d all be dead by the time we come back, if we do at all, and no one would remember who we are. Is that a life worth living?”</p>
<p>“A life worth living is defined by yourself. The life you want to live isn’t going to be the same as everyone else’s. You dream bigger and soar higher than almost anyone in the country. It <em>is</em> a life worth living– it’s just not a life worth living to <em>them</em>.”</p>
<p>Annabeth glanced at the coffee he brings to his lips. “But what if we do make it there, and it’s awful? We don’t know what this galaxy will hold, or the specific planet we’ll be travelling to. They say it should be habitable because it’s in the supposed goldilocks zone, but what’s that based on? Approximations? Theories? We have no real way of knowing if we’ll burn up or suffocate the second we get there. For all we know, there could be life on this planet that’s just waiting to kill us.”</p>
<p>Percy stared into the distance. “Damn. I guess you’re right there but look me in the eyes and tell me that doesn’t excite you.”</p>
<p>Annabeth stayed silent.</p>
<p>“We may hate each other, and for good reason, but I’ve worked with you long enough to know you. There are a million reasons you should be scared and running as far away from that galaxy. I also know there are a billion reasons you should be running into the expanding universe.”</p>
<p>“Do you think so?”</p>
<p>“I do. I think you want to go, but you’re scared of everything that could go wrong. To that I say, don’t let your fears hinder you from what could be the greatest moment in your life. The only thing that should be making your decision is whether or not <em>you</em> want to go. Not your family, or your doubts and fears, but <em>you</em>.”</p>
<p>Annabeth felt a tear slip from her eye and she didn’t bother wiping it. He didn’t bother pointing it out.</p>
<p>“Yes, you might die, but you might <em>live.</em> This could be the worst decision of your life, or the best. You won’t know unless you try, and I think you’re going to want to be able to say that you tried.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” she whispered, wiping the rapidly falling tears. When she looked up, Percy’s eyes gleamed like he was about to cry as well. “Thank you for listening.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for talking. It helped so much, really,” he said, reaching over to caress her hand with his thumb softly.</p>
<p>Annabeth sniffled, shivering again in the cold air of the vicinity. “I think I made my decision.”</p>
<p>“I think I did too.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>One Week Later</strong>
</p>
<p>From the second Annabeth told Chiron of her agreement to join the mission, her life span out of control. She was suddenly being dragged to every single meeting, and her name, along with the others, was being broadcasted on just about every news channel in existence.</p>
<p>“A mission to death,” Annabeth read out loud from the news title on the tv. “They think we’re all dead.”</p>
<p>“They’re not entirely wrong,” Percy told her with an annoyed snip in his voice. “We <em>are</em> going to die on this trip.”</p>
<p>“Do me a favor and shut up, would you?” Annabeth sank down onto a comfortable cushion in the Florida airport. “For the record, we aren’t going to die the second we get on the ship.”</p>
<p>“We kind of are,” he argued. “Getting on that ship basically just signs our death certificate, and we all know it. We just all decided that it was worth it.”</p>
<p>Annabeth wanted to smack him. “I can’t believe I’m going to be spending the rest of my life with you.”</p>
<p>“You heard Chiron. You’re going to be carrying my baby at some point.”</p>
<p>Annabeth looked him up and down, disgusted. “I think I’ll pass.”</p>
<p>“Right.” Percy shook his head with a smirk before changing the subject. “Are you ready to leave?”</p>
<p>Annabeth groaned and threw her head backwards. She had just finally managed to forget that she was never going to see her home again. She had gotten up early that morning just to get on a flight with Percy and Chiron to make their final destination to Orlando, Florida. She likely wasn’t going to get the chance to go back before she left, and her heart ached even thinking about it.</p>
<p>“Is anyone ready to leave their home? For a year? Or, you know, twenty-six million years at the very least?”</p>
<p>Percy shrugged and crossed his arms behind his head. “I’ve got all my shit settled. All that’s left is the final meeting and training.”</p>
<p>“Must be nice.”</p>
<p>“You mean to tell me that Annabeth Chase doesn’t have everything in order?”</p>
<p>“You really make me want to kill you sometimes.”</p>
<p>“We wouldn’t be Percy and Annabeth if I didn’t.” Percy straightened on the couch. “Seriously, though. Are you not ready?”</p>
<p>“Everything’s ready to go. The people just aren’t making it very easy.”</p>
<p>“Family?”</p>
<p>“Mhm. The mom and dad refuse to talk to me now.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>Annabeth recalled when she told her parents what was going on. She wished she could forget their distasteful reactions. The two people she was supposed to trust most in the world turned her back on her when she needed it the most.</p>
<p>//</p>
<p>
  <em>“What is it, Annabeth?” her mother sneered over the phone. “I’m at work with your father.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I know. It’ll be quick. Can you put the phone on speaker so dad can hear?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The phone crackled for a few seconds until she heard her dad’s voice.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Annabeth? Is everything alright?”<br/><br/>Annabeth bit her lip nervously, dreading the moment that they would find out. “I have to talk to you.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Make it quick, Annabeth,” her mom chimed in. “Your timing is far from convenient.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She took a deep breath, deciding that it was probably best if she just ripped off the Band-Aid. “Well, you’re both aware of my job.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Unfortunately,” her mom deadpanned.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’ve been asked to help out with something. Hundreds of millions of years ago, they discovered travelling at the speed of light.”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Why are you speaking to us like children? Spit it out.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“They’ve just come forth with a new mission. NASA is sending people to another galaxy– Centaurus A.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Her mom laughed incredulously. “That’s never going to work. I don’t have to study space to know that’s entirely too far. Who are the people dumb enough to join a suicide mission?”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>Annabeth responded dryly. “That would be me.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The phone went silent for a second, and when it sounded again, it was her father speaking.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You can’t be serious. Annabeth, that’s too far! You’ll never make it out alive.”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>Annabeth looked down. “I know.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You’ll never see your family again,” he pointed out hopelessly.</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I know.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>“Annabeth Chase,” her mother broke in. “I didn’t bring you into this would just to kill yourself in space!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’m not going to kill myself!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Centaurus A is millions of lightyears away! Even going the speed of light, you’ll be long dead before you get there!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I won’t be, actually. The government, along with the assistance of foreign governments, developed cryosleep. I’ll make it there in one long nap.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>“Annabeth,” her mother chided. “I don’t think you’ve ever been so stupid. You’re not going.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Annabeth shook her head even though her parents couldn’t see her. “I am. Everything is already signed; I only called you as a courtesy, not for your permission.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>“Think about your siblings! Your parents! You’re not going to give your own parents any wedding, or grandbabies before you kill yourself?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>“I’ve thought of that, but in the end, it’s my decision. The decision is done, so all I’m asking is that you stand by me for it.”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I will never stand by this decision! You’re a moronic, good-for-nothing daughter, and I’m embarrassed to even know of your existence. Do you realize how much of a disappointment you are?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Annabeth’s voice cracked. “Mom.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Athena,” her dad soothed. “Give me the phone and let me handle it.”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>Annabeth could hear her mom storming away from the phone, calling Annabeth every word that meant anything even remotely close to stupid. Apparently, Athena knew a lot of synonyms. She probably read a thesaurus, in all honesty.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Annabeth, sweetheart.” Her dad sighed over the phone. “You aren’t really doing this, are you?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I am.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Why would you do this to yourself?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“This is my life, daddy. You know that.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I wish I didn’t.” He clicked his teeth. “When do you leave?”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I leave for Florida in three days for training. We launch out in a month.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“This isn’t okay, Annabeth. Space study is taboo enough as it is, but going into space? Travelling across space? It isn’t normal to want these things.”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’m sorry I don’t live up to your expectations.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“No, listen. We love you, and you know we do. We just can’t watch you make this mistake.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“If you love me, then stand by me even if it is a mistake.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“We can’t do that. Your mother can’t do that.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Please.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I have to go, Annabeth. I love you so much, and I wish you the best. I’m sorry it has to be like this, but we can’t have it known that our daughter is one of the astronauts, let alone that we support her.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Daddy.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I love you, Annabeth. Do not contact us again.”</em>
  
</p>
<p><em>“</em>Daddy.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Goodbye, Annabeth.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The line went silent.</em>
</p>
<p>//</p>
<p>She shook herself back to the reality. She couldn’t think of that night anymore, or she might back out of the plan, and she definitely couldn’t do that.</p>
<p>“It’s fine. It just kind of sucks when the people who are supposed to support you no matter what end up turning their back on you. I want to be excited for this, but they’re making that kind of hard.”</p>
<p>Percy scrunched his nose in thought. “I’m sure they’ll come around. We only have three weeks before leaving, and they’re going to want to say goodbye.”</p>
<p>Annabeth smirked. “Doubt that.”</p>
<p>“For your sake, I hope so.” Percy looked around. “Where did Chiron go?”</p>
<p>“Do you never listen? God, how did you make it this far in life?”</p>
<p>“Don’t be a priss. I was just asking a question.”</p>
<p>“He went to go find someone to guide us to the meeting.”</p>
<p>“It’s like we’re incompetent, or something.”</p>
<p>“Or they don’t want the people leaving Earth to vanish into thin air in a busy airport.”</p>
<p>“Or that,” he conceded before sniffing the air. “I expected more humidity.”</p>
<p>“Have you ever been to Florida?”</p>
<p>“Of course not. This place is crawling with little kid germs. Have you?”</p>
<p>“Yes, and the humidity is very exaggerated. Yeah, sometimes it’s disgusting, but it’s usually at least manageable.”</p>
<p>“You are a disgrace to humanity. Do you always have to be so stuck up?”</p>
<p>“I’m so not looking forwards to this next month.”</p>
<p>“Or the next eternity,” he added with a wink. He looked over her shoulder and turned his chin up. “Chiron’s back.”</p>
<p>Annabeth turned in her seat and was met with the most gorgeous tan girl with choppy hair. She had on a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a plain white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and even dressed so simply, she was stunning. Annabeth looked down at her own clothes self-consciously, eyeing her own jeans and loose grey shirt.</p>
<p>As the girl got closer, Annabeth was drawn to her eyes that seemed to shift colors under the sunlight falling through the wall-length windows. The girl smiled at Annabeth politely and Annabeth smiled back, trying not to let her green envy seep through her strong façade.</p>
<p>“Hi!” she chirped, sticking her hand out for Annabeth to shake, followed by Percy.</p>
<p>“I’m Annabeth,” Annabeth said, shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you.”</p>
<p>“Percy,” he followed.</p>
<p>“I know who you two are,” she laughed. “Flight dynamics officer and guidance, navigation, and control officer. All over the news.”</p>
<p>“Unfortunately,” Annabeth said with the roll of her eyes.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry. I know the feeling. Piper McLean, flight commander.”</p>
<p>“Oh, wow,” Annabeth said in admiration. “You’ll be joining us on the trip?”</p>
<p>“Yep! Though, I’d hardly call going to another galaxy just a ‘trip.’”</p>
<p>“Yeah, Annabeth,” Percy tried, not at all subtly, to embarrass her. “Sorry, she’s a dumb blonde.”</p>
<p>Annabeth didn’t even bother to try and fight back. He’d just quip something else. Luckily, Piper did it for him.</p>
<p>“She’s one of the hundred people travelling to Centaurus A. I wouldn’t call her dumb. Besides, you’re going to be spending quite some time together, and I get the feeling she doesn’t take shit.”</p>
<p>Percy looked surprised and he stuttered out an apology. Annabeth grinned at him mockingly, and he sneered back, all while Piper watched, amused.</p>
<p>“You two are too cute,” she acknowledged. “Come on, we can’t be late to this meeting.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Annabeth was so grateful to get out of the cramped car where she had been shoved uncomfortably into Percy’s side. He was an absolute <em>menace</em> and Annabeth did not appreciate having to spend the entire hour-long ride being wedged under his arm and able to smell Percy, no matter how good he smelled.</p>
<p>She pulled open the door and tumbled out the second the car pulled up to the curb. The fresh air hit her face, and so did the glaring heat of the sun. She found she didn’t mind the heat so much, seeing as it was better than the heat resonating from the spot on her back Percy had previously had his arm on, or the heat that was quickly rushing to her face.</p>
<p>“Okay, there?” Piper asked as she stepped out of the front seat of the car.</p>
<p>“Great,” Annabeth choked, taking a moment to calm herself before turning to address her other two companions. “What do we do with our stuff?”</p>
<p>“I’ll bring it to your hotel room,” Chiron answered. “You three need to get to the meeting. It starts in five minutes, so go.”</p>
<p>Piper shrugged at Annabeth and started walking away. “He’s right. The building’s pretty big and we have to find our seats.”</p>
<p>Annabeth and Percy followed Piper through the giant glass doors, making their way past the security check-in and through the giant metal detectors. Thankfully, they hadn’t been stopped and delayed from the meeting even further.</p>
<p>“So,” Percy started, looking at Piper. “You’re from here?”</p>
<p>Piper smiled and nodded. “I live by Cape Canaveral because I go up to space pretty often. I’m the flight pilot, so I go to the international space station often enough, and it’s easier to live near Kennedy Space Center when that’s the life you live.”</p>
<p>“Is going to space a difficult experience?” Annabeth chimed in.</p>
<p>“First timers?” Piper laughed and continued leading them through the corridors. “Don’t worry. The way up to space is tough on the tummy the first couple of times, so you’ll probably end up with your lunch outside your body, but you’ll get accustomed quick enough.”</p>
<p>“That’s – reassuring.” Percy looked at Annabeth and they shared a look that said <em>help me.</em></p>
<p>“I’m not sure if we’ll even be awake on the way up, though. That’s what we’re finding out today, I guess.”</p>
<p>Annabeth’s hand was shaking slightly in nerves, and she silently chides herself. She couldn’t afford to be nervous when she was about to walk into a room full of people who <em>lived</em> for space and were going to sacrifice their lives for space. She couldn’t be intimidated when she was about to walk into a room of people just as smart as her, if not more. Despite telling herself to stop, her nervous system continued to make her shake against her will.</p>
<p>Percy, with his heart of ice, noticed her nerves working her up, and her took his hand in hers. She noticed he was shaking as well, though so insignificant that it was hardly noticeable.</p>
<p>“Here we are,” Piper said, gesturing to the room full of nerds. “Go find your seats. I think they were assigned based of off importance.”</p>
<p>Piper flounced off towards the middle of the room, and Annabeth stood at the door to take everything in. The room was large, with high ceilings and smoothly pained grey walls. The tables were arranged much like in their mission control room, with the tables in a circular formation and the center of the room held at a lower level than the rest of the room. The center table was comprised of two semicircle tables pressed together, with seven vacant seats. The eighth was taken by Piper.</p>
<p>“Do you think they put us together?” Percy asked, looking down at her since he towered a head over her.</p>
<p>Annabeth glanced at him for a second before looking around the room again. “I don’t know. Why?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know about you, but I’d rather sit with someone I know. Don’t get me wrong, you’re disgusting, and I hate you, but at least I know you.”</p>
<p>Annabeth ignored his insult and chose to respond to the rest of his sentence. “I guess we just have to find our seats. They each have nametags, so this should be fun.”</p>
<p>Annabeth started towards her left, deciding to start the search from the outside and move inwards as she went. Percy followed her, and Annabeth refrained from making a teasing comment.</p>
<p>“Are you starting to regret your decision of saying yes?” Percy asked.</p>
<p>“I’m getting there,” she joked, walking fast as she read the names. “Are you?”</p>
<p>“Yes and no. I’m still excited, but I’m also getting that feeling of ‘what did I do? Why am I so stupid?’”</p>
<p>“I’m surprised you don’t ask yourself that on a daily basis.”</p>
<p>“Rude.” Percy still followed after Annabeth. Annabeth decided to make her way to the center of the room instead, since the walkway was closer to her than the rest of the seats anyways.</p>
<p>“I’m just being honest with you. You make so many stupid decisions.”</p>
<p>“You make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.”</p>
<p>“That’s good. You’re going to be fathering my children, after all.”</p>
<p>“I’ve never wanted to throw up so badly.”</p>
<p>“Shut up.” Annabeth circled the center table and caught her name engraved onto a name plaque. Percy’s name was on the table right beside hers. “Right here,” she said.</p>
<p>Percy looked over her shoulder at his seat. “This all looks so <em>snazzy</em>!”</p>
<p>“Put your nametag on,” she replied with a judgmental look.</p>
<p>Annabeth picked up her plastic id card and clipped it onto the left side of her shirt before sitting down. Percy copied her and put it on the same side.</p>
<p>“I feel so official,” he said fiddling with the card. “They could’ve used a better picture, though.”</p>
<p>“No picture would ever capture your beauty, because it’s nonexistent.”</p>
<p>“Ladies and gentlemen, the love of my life,” he said with a mean look at her.</p>
<p>“The meeting should be starting soon,” Annabeth told him, looking at the glowing clock on the wall. “Who’s going to be talking, anyways?”</p>
<p>“Some NASA person? This was a really underground operation.”</p>
<p>“Mhm.”</p>
<p>Percy sniffed around in the air. “It smells like fish in here.”</p>
<p>“Then close your legs.”</p>
<p>“What?” It dawned on him. “What traumatic experience did you have to make you the way you are? I’m genuinely curious.”</p>
<p>“I’m going to shove you off the spaceship.”</p>
<p>“You’re delirious if you think I won’t drag you with me.”</p>
<p>“Well, your lungs will flatten almost instantaneously, so I think you’ll be a bit occupied.”</p>
<p>“I could get you kicked off of this mission for that.”</p>
<p>“You versus me, Percy.”</p>
<p>He growled and sank into his seat. “Can this thing start already? I need a nap.”</p>
<p>“You get to take a thirteen million yearlong nap, you baby.”</p>
<p>“I’m old, Annabeth. I need naps.”</p>
<p>“You’re twenty-nine.”</p>
<p>“Exactly. Old.”</p>
<p>“You’re not married with no kids, so you’re not allowed to call yourself old.”</p>
<p>“That’s because my fiancée cheated on me.”</p>
<p>“I wonder why.”</p>
<p>“You are the sole reason I cry myself to sleep at night.”</p>
<p>Annabeth couldn’t think of a clever retort, and luckily, she didn’t have to. A man walked in wearing an official NASA polo and black dress pants. He looked rather old, and Annabeth hoped he wouldn’t be going up to space with them because frankly, he wouldn’t make it past the atmosphere. He appeared way too brittle like his bones would crush to dust at any given moment.</p>
<p>The room went silent, and Annabeth sat up straighter, Percy subconsciously doing the same. The man turned on a projector and a screen lit up with a colorful display of words and slides.</p>
<p>“Good afternoon,” he said into a microphone attached to his cheek and wired around his ear. “I am NASA Administrator Zeus Olympia.  First and foremost, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for accepting your position on this mission. This is the beginning of a new era, and you’re all making history.”</p>
<p>Annabeth shifted uncomfortably in her seat, watching the moods of the other people in the room shift around wildly. Everything was just so surreal. She was really in Orlando, Florida, getting ready to travel not only across the world, but across the universe, and the distance they were going was really nothing compared to the vast expanse of the universe.</p>
<p>“I’m sure you’re all quite concerned about what’s going to be going down this next month, so let’s just jump right on into the details you’re all dying to know. In front of you, you will see a lengthy contract. You have until the end of this meeting to back out. Once you sign that contract, you are legally obligated to play an active role in this mission.”</p>
<p>Zeus walked around the center table, doing his best to maintain eye contact with each of the attendees. Annabeth squirmed as she locked eyes with him, and he scanned her up and down.</p>
<p>“I suppose I should begin with the purpose of the mission. Simply put, the Earth is dying. The planet can only sustain approximately another one hundred million years of human activity before the carbon dioxide levels become critical. Many have thought the world would end back in the early 2000s, and that didn’t happen, so many are likely to be skeptical about the accuracy of the data compiled by government organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the National Institute of Heath, and many more. The list goes on and on. This is truly the beginning of the end.”</p>
<p>“Now, based on the evidence and statistics compiled by our finest teams of researchers and the use of the Kepler telescope, there are planets found to be habitable in the Centaurus A galaxy. I’m sure many of you are wondering why we don’t travel to closer habitable planets within our own galaxy if we have such little time left. The main reason is that Centaurus A offers the most promising chance at life. As you approach the galaxy, we will compile a more accurate screening of the planets and choose the safest planet for a landing. You will spend a portion of your lives studying this planet and preparing it for human survival.”</p>
<p>“I am not certain if you will be returning home, but after all, we have thirteen million years to figure that out. However, I wouldn’t count on your returning to planet Earth. The Earth will be in such critical condition that you’ll be better off surviving on the planet you are commanded to land on.” Zeus rubbed his hands together, way too excited for the mood of the room. “Now, let’s get down to the specifics.”</p>
<p>“Centaurus A is more than thirteen million lightyears away, so you will spend thirteen million years on board the spacecraft specifically designed for this type of travel. This ship will have gravity through the use of centrifugal force. I do wish we could send you travelling past the speed of light, but alas it is not currently possible. Doing so would theoretically put you in the past, as you’re moving faster than the light you’re seeing. In order to survive this amount of years, you will be induced into a cryogenic sleep. Your body will be preserved, and when the time is right, you will be awoken. Cryogenic sleep has been tested for millions of years, so we are confident you will wake up with no physical or mental deficits.”</p>
<p><em>How reassuring</em>, Annabeth mused to herself. Using words like ‘confident’ really made Annabeth feel secure about her decision. Just thinking about having to go to sleep for thirteen million years really made Annabeth feel sick. It was something about actively falling asleep and knowing that she has no control over it and very well might not wake up. That was a concept that Annabeth always despised – she just didn’t want to think about how she would be forced asleep and she’ll have no idea if she’s going to ever wake up again. Not only that, but she has to wait a long time to find out. Like, a <em>long</em> time.</p>
<p>“As for the actual day of launching, all of you will be awake. Each of you will be put into the astronaut suit for protection, and you will be fully conscious the entire way up. For the first twenty-four hours, you will all be awake in order to get accustomed to space. After the twenty-four hours, cryosleep will be initiated through computer programs. All each of you have to do is get into a pod, and everything else will fall into place. Further instruction will be provided in the instruction manuals gathered in front of you. Once you’re asleep, your thirteen-million-year snooze will begin. You will have no recollection of the time that has passed.”</p>
<p>“Once you are one month away from the final destination, the prioritized crew will be woken up from their deep sleep, and they will operate the final landing and the beginning of the studies. The rest of you will be woken up after the landing is completed and the final actions are taken. Together, you will conduct studies on the habitability of this land and begin the exploration. Our hope is that the planet is abundant with food, or rich soil, although you will have plenty of nutritious food aboard the ship. Our initial testing, however, shows water, so as of right now, survival is likely.”</p>
<p>“One of the main concerns would likely be what happens if things don’t go according to plan. This ship has been tested immensely and will not fail you. There are foolproof systems set in place, and the ship with built by one of our own, Leo Valdez. If somehow, things did not go according to plan, the essential personnel will be woken up and further action will be decided from there. You will have access to Earth assistance, but there is no guarantee we’ll be able to help once you’re a couple lightyears away.”</p>
<p>Someone in the back row raised their hand. “Excuse me, Mr. Olympia?”</p>
<p>Zeus paused his presentation and looked rather miffed that someone stopped him in the middle of his extraordinary presentation. “Yes?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sorry. I’m Octavian, and I was just wondering who this ‘prioritized crew’ will be?”</p>
<p>Zeus nodded his head, pleased. “I suppose this is as good a time as ever to discuss this. Everyone take a look towards the center of the room.”</p>
<p>The people on the outskirts of the room all had their eyes land on the center table, and Annabeth felt their sights prickling and burning onto her back.</p>
<p>“Say hello to the eight leaders of the mission.”</p>
<p>Annabeth’s eyes widened and she looked towards Percy in alarm. The entire center table looked like this was news to them, so it was safe to assume that none of them knew that tiny bit of information. There was no way she was a leader on this mission. She was still four years from thirty, for goodness sake. Chiron <em>really</em> forgot to mention a pretty important detail there.</p>
<p>Octavian seemed to think the same thing. “They’re the <em>leaders?</em> That blonde on is practically a fetus!”</p>
<p>Annabeth scowled. Yeah, she was thinking it, but that didn’t make it okay for him to <em>say </em>it.</p>
<p>“That blonde one is a leader on the mission for a reason. She is a forced to be reckoned with, Octavian. I know we’ve all spent our lives studying so we have little experience with human interaction, but here on planet Earth, it’s not polite to insult people for their ages.” Zeus cracked a smile at Octavian who was now silently fuming. “Now for the introductions!”</p>
<p>“Annabeth Chase, age twenty-six. She graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a double major in astrophysics and aerospace engineering. She is a guidance, navigation, and control officer for mission control in Houston, Texas.”</p>
<p>“Perseus Jackson, age twenty-nine. Graduated from Stanford University with a major in atmospheric sciences and meteorology. Flight Dynamics Officer in mission control, Houston, Texas.”</p>
<p>“Piper McLean, age twenty-six. Graduated Cornell University with a master’s degree in aerospace engineering and physics. She is a flight commander and has been on many missions in space. Now, she will be joining us on <em>this</em> mission.”</p>
<p>“Will Solace, age thirty-five. Graduated Harvard Medical School with a medical degree and completed a surgical residency. He will be the doctor and surgeon on deck to ensure everyone and everything is safe.”</p>
<p>“Jason Grace, age thirty-six. Graduated Columbia University with a PhD in astrophysics. He’s studied space along with SpaceX and now he will be studying space while in space with NASA.”</p>
<p>“Leo Valdez, age thirty-seven. Graduated Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a master’s in aerospace engineering and is an operations technician with NASA. He is a master with tools and will be ensuring the ship stays in tip-top shape.”</p>
<p>“Frank Zhang, age thirty. Graduated Concordia University Montreal with a masters in biological and physical science. Amazing with analyzing life on Earth, and even better in space.”</p>
<p>“Last, but not least, we have Reyna Arellano, age thirty-three. Graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a major in electrical and computer engineering. Here to help run the ship and databases.”</p>
<p>Zeus silenced for an awkward moment until the room broke out into reluctant claps, not entirely sure why they hadn’t been chosen to be a part of the main eight. Annabeth sat in her seat, refusing to look anywhere except Percy. Percy looked just as confused as her. Somehow, they ended up on this mission, and not only were they on the mission, but they were now leading it against their will. Any failures would fall on them.</p>
<p>“The one thing these people have in common is they’re brilliant and they all have what it takes to be a leader. A background check was conducted about each of you, and these people were found to be the most competent. They’re intelligent, and they know how and when to push on or take a step back. I promise you that these are the best people for the job. That being said, there are only one hundred of you on the mission. All of you are intelligent and the best of the best people we could find. Don’t take offense in not being one of the eight. Being one of the eight is not an easy task – they will take the fall when and if something goes wrong, but they’ll also know how to fix it.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Congratulations, everyone. Welcome to Mission Centaurus A.”</em>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>“I’m dying,” Annabeth choked out, chugging from a water bottle and having water spill down her chin.</p>
<p>“<em>You’re</em> dying?” Percy said, coughing.</p>
<p>“Why is training to go to space so hard?”</p>
<p>“Because we’re doing it in less than a month. Usually, astronauts would spend longer on this, I think.”</p>
<p>Piper was sitting by them, untouched by even a drop of sweat. “It’s not that bad,” she said. “You guys are just being big babies.”</p>
<p>Annabeth wiped her chin still dripping with water. “Is this really what travelling to space is like?”</p>
<p>“Yeah! It’s kind of like sloshing around in jello all the time.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s not,” Frank chimed in. “Don’t scare them, Piper.”</p>
<p>Percy put a hand over his heart. “Thank god.”</p>
<p>Frank laughed. “I don’t think we’ve officially met. Frank Zhang,” he said, offering his hand to Percy and then Annabeth. “Moving is space is literally effortless. When I was on the space station with Piper, it was so lazy that she fell asleep just about anywhere.”</p>
<p>“Stop it,” Piper whined. “You’re embarrassing me.”</p>
<p>Frank rubbed Piper’s head affectionately. “Don’t worry too much. Moving around underwater like that is just to prepare you for the worst, but the reality is that we’ll have a sense of gravity, and we’ll also be asleep.”</p>
<p>“See? Frank is a much nicer person,” Percy declared to Piper.</p>
<p>Piper raised an eyebrow and redid her ponytail. “In that case, I’ll stop helping you two with these exercises.”</p>
<p>“Hey,” Annabeth complained. “I didn’t do anything to you!”</p>
<p>“You’re associated with that scum.”</p>
<p>“I really wish I wasn’t, Piper. I also believe he’s scum.”</p>
<p>“You say that, but you two are gonna get married, just watch.”</p>
<p>Annabeth guffawed. “Hell no! Besides, we can’t get married in space. I don’t think there are rules allowing that.”</p>
<p>“There aren’t rules restricting it,” Piper counters. “But that reminds me, we need to get someone to officiate marriages.”</p>
<p>Frank looked puzzled. “Uh, why?”</p>
<p>Annabeth smirked, already knowing what Piper would tell him. Piper and Annabeth had become fast friends after the meeting, especially since they were both twenty-six, and the youngest members on board the ship. The previous night, the two had gone out to a bar, ordering virgin drinks of course. You couldn’t become an astronaut while drinking, after all.</p>
<p>Piper had spent the entire night talking about how cute the boys were on the ship, which was just a bit gross since a lot were significantly older than the two girls. Regardless, Piper surely brought up maintaining life once they were out of the galaxy, and maintaining life meant reproduction. Unfortunately, Annabeth was not a tree, and neither was Piper, so reproduction meant sexual reproduction. With older men. Annabeth wanted to gag just thinking about it. Why couldn’t she just undergo binary fission, or bud like a potato?</p>
<p>One thing led to another and Piper ended up arguing that if they had to have a bunch of babies to maintain the population, then they might as well get married while they’re at it. That statement made realize that they needed people to be able to make marriages legal in space, which is why she was now arguing that they need someone on board that can officiate marriages.</p>
<p>“To have babies,” Piper told Frank.</p>
<p>Frank looked appalled. “I think I’m going to just leave you to your thoughts now.”</p>
<p>“Smart idea,” Annabeth breathed, her chest still heaving. “I don’t think I was meant to be an astronaut.”</p>
<p>“Do you need more water?” Percy asked her, watching her chug the rest of her water.</p>
<p>She looked at him, hopeful. “Yes, please.”</p>
<p>Percy handed her his water wordlessly, and Piper made fun of him behind his back. The two biggest enemies were going to spend the rest of eternity together and now they were sharing water. ‘Enemies’ alright.</p>
<p>Annabeth took a few sips of Percy’s water before handing it back to him since she didn’t want to empty it. “Thanks.”</p>
<p>“Have to keep you alive until we launch so that I can bother you without you having any chance of escape.”</p>
<p>“A part of the grand scheme, I see.”</p>
<p>“Yes. I thoroughly enjoyed that old cartoon Phineas and Ferb.”</p>
<p>“You would.” Annabeth dropped her hair from her ponytail, shaking it out. Her hair fell in ringlets down her back, the bottom portion drenched in sweat. “Well, this was torture, and I’m going to get the hell out of here while I still can.”</p>
<p>“I should probably get going too.” Piper stood up from her seat on the cold floor. “Do you want to do something tonight, Annabeth?”</p>
<p>Annabeth wiped her body down with a towel, removing the thin layer of sweat lining her body. “I was going to take a quick shower and then study up on everything some more. We only have two weeks before it’s go time, and I wanna be prepared.”</p>
<p>“Alright.” Piper started off towards the exit, falling behind some of the other leaving crew members. “See you guys tomorrow,” she called out before she disappeared outside and into the world.</p>
<p>Percy stared at Annabeth for a moment. “Walk together?”</p>
<p>Annabeth nodded, and together they began the short walk to their hotel, and temporary home. Annabeth’s mind was all over the place again, stressing over everything she still had to do. She still had to settle her lease with her stubborn landlord over in Texas and find a way to get rid of almost everything since she couldn’t bring all that much onto the ship. Only the essentials would be allowed, and even those would likely deteriorate over time. </p>
<p>Two weeks felt like a lifetime, yet no time at all. She didn’t have anyone here for her anymore. Her parents were gone, and her friends had said they support her but, Annabeth hadn’t actually heard from any of them since the big announcement. She was ready to leave now that there was nothing left for her on this Earth anyways.</p>
<p>“What are you going to bring?” Percy asked, moving to walk in the shade in order to avoid the Florida sun.</p>
<p>Annabeth started. “Huh?”</p>
<p>“On the ship. Do you know what you’re taking?”</p>
<p>“I have no idea. Maybe a few boxes of clothes, but I think they’re stocking up on clothes anyways.”</p>
<p>“They’re also bringing a ton of hygiene things, like toothpaste and soap.”</p>
<p>“So that doesn’t leave us with much to bring on our own.”</p>
<p>“I wish I could bring my dog.”</p>
<p>Annabeth’s head snapped towards him. “You have a dog?”</p>
<p>“Mhm. Her name’s Blackjack and she’s the sweetest. I’m leaving her with my mom.”</p>
<p>“Bring your furry companion with us,” she joked. “Put her in cryosleep with us.”</p>
<p>“If only the world worked that way.”</p>
<p>“Are you leaving anyone important?”</p>
<p>“My mom,” he answered. “And my little sister, Estelle. I’m going to miss them like crazy. It hurts to know that they’ll be dead in what feels like less than a second to me.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” she agreed. “I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“I just keep reminding myself that the human race has a one-hundred percent mortality rate anyways. Statistics are comforting.”</p>
<p>“I hated statistics.”</p>
<p>“Your whole job revolves around statistics,” he pointed out.</p>
<p>“That’s different.”</p>
<p>“If you say so,” he responded. “Are you getting really nervous about all of this?”</p>
<p>Annabeth nodded. “Something feels off. I’m not sure why.”</p>
<p>“I pretty much feel panic all the time now, and I’d very much like it to stop.”</p>
<p>“I guess this is just the life we subjected ourselves to.”</p>
<p>Percy ran his fingers through his raven hair, wishing he could just pull it out. “Lucky us.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>12 Hours Before Liftoff</strong>
</p>
<p>Annabeth could not bring herself to sleep that night. Every part of her was rushing with adrenaline – her brain was on overdrive, and her body was pacing the small confines of her five-star hotel room she’d been put in.</p>
<p>Annabeth jumped off of her bed with a slight bang to walk to her open bathroom. She stared herself in the mirror and was hardly shocked by what she faced.</p>
<p>Her eyes had dark circles resting beneath them and her eyes were bloodshot. Her blonde curls no longer fell in ringlets down her back, but they sat on top of her head in a bun, tangled and frizzy. It didn’t matter anyways – someone would be by in the morning to fix Annabeth’s appearance before the big send off.</p>
<p>Annabeth gripped the sides of the bathroom counter until her knuckles turned white. She couldn’t do it. <em>She couldn’t do it</em>. It was midnight, and she was leaving in twelve hours to a destination that was further than she could ever even comprehend. She doesn’t know how everything happened so fast – how everything just fell off in a tangent. One day she’s just living her life, and now what? She’s going to die? She’s never going to see her family?</p>
<p>What did she get herself into?</p>
<p>Annabeth felt sick even thinking about the speech she’s going to have to give in only eight hours. The world wanted to hear from the people deemed insane, deemed <em>suicidal</em> to leave the familiar comfort of their own planet. She had been told that she’d be the one to give the speech out of all the crew members, so now she had to get dressed in a full astronaut suit and stand in front of what could be, and likely would be, upfronts of a couple millions of people at Kennedy Space Center.</p>
<p>She wished she hadn’t put her dad’s college ring on the ship already. Well, <em>she</em> didn’t, but someone went around to all of the crew members to load the ship with personal belongings before the big day. Anyhow, Annabeth could really use the comfort of her dad’s ring, her dad’s promise that they’d always be together.</p>
<p>Speaking of her dad, she hadn’t spoken to her parents since she told them what she was doing. She knew they didn’t approve, but would her mom and dad seriously leave her without at least saying goodbye? Annabeth needed her parents now more than ever, but of course that wasn’t her life.</p>
<p>Annabeth forced her hands to release the white marble of the sink to let the blood flow continue in her body. She took a deep breath, looking at herself in the mirror one last time before shutting off the bathroom lights and dragging herself back to her bed. Fretting over what would be here in only twelve hours was pointless. She had already signed the contract, so there was no backing out now. In twelve hours, she was going to be on that spaceship whether she wanted to be or not.</p>
<p>Annabeth tried to go to sleep, but that clearly wasn’t going to be happening. She laid in her bed just staring up at the ceiling with the occasional glance at the clock, waiting for any inkling of sleep to overcome her. It didn’t.</p>
<p>Annabeth heaved herself upright onto the bed again before sliding off again and continuing on with her pattern of pacing around the room. She had to be up in five hours, and it was really stressing her out at this point. Was someone even allowed to go into space on no sleep?</p>
<p>She was so busy pacing, listening to her socked feet press against the expensive hotel carpet, that she nearly missed the knock on her door. When the person knocked again, she made her way to the door and looked through the peephole, only to be met with no one. The knock rang out again, and she realized it was coming from the conjoined room that she knew housed Percy.</p>
<p>She took the lock off the side door and pulled it open, being met with Percy’s green eyes staring down onto her grey ones. The light was very dim, but their eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.</p>
<p>“I couldn’t sleep,” Percy admitted.</p>
<p>“Me either,” she said, moving aside to let him in.</p>
<p>Percy walked in and sat on the vacant bed as though it was the most normal thing in the world. Annabeth let him.</p>
<p>“Am I the only one freaking out about tomorrow?” Percy asked.</p>
<p>“No. I’m panicking inside.”</p>
<p>“I don’t know how I got here.”</p>
<p>“Me either.”</p>
<p>Percy flopped down onto the bed and she sat down next to him, bending her legs underneath her. Percy stared up at the ceiling, and then moved to look out at the glowing moon from the window.</p>
<p>“Do you remember the night we found out about this?”</p>
<p>Annabeth laughs softly. “I do. You talked me through it.”</p>
<p>“I think we should do that again.”</p>
<p>“Okay.”</p>
<p>“Do you want to go first, or me?”</p>
<p>“You go.”</p>
<p>Percy nodded dutifully and he crossed his arms over his stomach. “This just all feels so fast. A month ago, we were just two people working in the safety of mission control, and now we’re about to go to space, and not only space, but further than anyone has ever gone in space.”</p>
<p>“It feels like we aren’t supposed to be here.”</p>
<p>“Exactly. I just – We trained to be astronauts for less than a month, and now they’re sending us to actually work in a zero-gravity environment. It’s just insane.”</p>
<p>“It just feels like with the pace we’re going, something is bound to go wrong, right?”</p>
<p>Percy hummed in agreement. “I don’t think anything will go wrong, but I can’t shake the grim feeling that something could go wrong. This has never been put to use before. Sure, everything went through tons of clinical trials and experiments, but it’s never been shot up to space and out of the solar system with people <em>in</em> it.”</p>
<p>“It’s the price of loving the chase,” she said.</p>
<p>Percy scratched his neck before speaking again. “I was watching videos just now. I just watched the Challenger explosion, and Columbia burn up in the sky. I just listened to the audio clips of the Apollo 13 crew.”</p>
<p>“Percy,” she chastised. “Why would you do that?”</p>
<p>“I wanted to be prepared for the worst, I guess. It was a pretty bad idea.”</p>
<p>“No kidding,” she said incredulously. “But I understand. Do you think everyone else is scared?”</p>
<p>“Without a doubt,” he said immediately. “If we’re like this, can you imagine how everyone else must be?”</p>
<p>Annabeth twiddled her thumbs together. “I don’t know how we’re going to make it through the next day.”</p>
<p>“We just have to keep on breathing, and hopefully everything will turn out okay in the end.” Percy turned onto his side to look at her. “Tell me why you’re freaking out.”</p>
<p>“It’s pretty much everything you said.”</p>
<p>“I think there’s more than that.”</p>
<p>Annabeth thought for a moment. “I still haven’t talked to my family.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“It’s okay. I should’ve expected it. I just really wanted to get one last hug from someone I love before I leave, but that’s out of the picture.”</p>
<p>Percy blinked at her, and he felt so bad for her. It just wasn’t fair to have to leave forever and not even get to say goodbye.</p>
<p>“My mom will give you a hug,” he proffered. “She won’t mind.”</p>
<p>“Your mom doesn’t even know who I am.”</p>
<p>“She definitely does. First of all, we’ve worked together, and I’ve complained about you for the last few years all the time.”</p>
<p>“Wow. She definitely won’t be giving me a hug, then.”</p>
<p>“She will,” he said. “You’re not allowed to laugh, but she thinks I have a crush on you and that it’s the reason I always complain about you.”</p>
<p>Annabeth tried to hold in a snort but failed miserably. “What are you? Sixteen?”</p>
<p>“That’s what I said,” he laughed. “Anyways, she will also give you a hug because she’s seen you all over the news. She knows who you are, and when she sees you alone tomorrow, she’s not going to let you go without a hug. She might even kiss you.”</p>
<p>“Your mom seems like the sweetest woman in the world. How were you created?”</p>
<p>“Here I am, comforting you, and you insult me. How disrespectful.”</p>
<p>“Disrespectful isn’t a thing. Disrespect is a noun, not an adjective, so I can’t <em>be</em> disrespectful<em>.</em>”</p>
<p>“I stand by my point.”</p>
<p>Annabeth nudged his shoulder gently. “About your family– you said you were engaged?”</p>
<p>“I was five years ago. It wasn’t exactly a serious relationship. We got engaged just to get engaged, not because we actually loved each other, so I wasn’t all that heartbroken when it ended.”</p>
<p>“I’m gonna hurt the person who hurt my enemy. Only I’m allowed to hurt Percy.”</p>
<p>Percy picked her lightly. “I didn’t know that spot was reserved for you.”</p>
<p>“It is!” she said matter of factly. “Percy Jackson can only be insulted by Annabeth Chase. It’s a rule.”</p>
<p>“Oh, in that case…” He trailed off, and Annabeth giggled in response.</p>
<p>They fell into a comfortable silence, and Annabeth noticed herself blinking slowly. She decided to say something before she knocked out.</p>
<p>“Thank you for coming here.”</p>
<p>“I needed it just as much.”</p>
<p>“I should probably try to go back to sleep.”</p>
<p>“Me too.” Percy hesitated, and Annabeth noticed it.</p>
<p>“What is it?”</p>
<p>Percy took a deep breath. “Can we put the enemy thing aside for right now? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not sleep alone on my last night on Earth.”</p>
<p>Annabeth lifted the side of her mouth in a gentle smile and patted the bed beside her. “Come here, you big buffoon.”</p>
<p>Percy crawled up beside her and settled down comfortably. Annabeth threw him a blanket that was loose on the other bed before she settled underneath her own. Percy kept a decent amount of distance between the two of them, but still kept them close enough to feel another person beside them.</p>
<p>“Goodnight, Annabeth.”</p>
<p>She smiled sleepily.</p>
<p>“Goodnight, Percy.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Annabeth stared at the crowds of people in front of her, and she swears she had a heart attack. Everyone was intently watching the group of eight astronauts walk onto the stage, and the entire place was chattering with excitement.</p>
<p>The first thing Annabeth noticed was the ship that would serve as her home for the next thirteen million years. The ship was <em>huge</em>, and Annabeth wondered how the hell the government kept such a big secret for so long. The ship was made of a black metal, and it was beautiful in an oddly sharp way. There were windows along the side that Annabeth knew they would be able to look through for the first day as they drifted away from their home. Along the side of the ship was the words Argo II, which gave the ship a true finishing touch.</p>
<p>“How the hell are they going to get that ship up?” Percy whispered into her ear through gritted teeth. “It’s huge! It’s basically a giant building!”</p>
<p>Annabeth stared at it, slightly intimidated by its towering stance. “I don’t know how they even managed to get it to fit in this place. That giant is going to be going at the speed of light?”</p>
<p>“Incredible,” he said, astonished.</p>
<p>Annabeth nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>Once she finally managed to draw her eyes away from the ship, she caught onto the crowds of people in front of her. There were people packed as far as she could see; everyone was desperate for a glance at the ship that would make history.</p>
<p>Annabeth stood in a line by the other seven crew members, Percy by her right side. Annabeth suddenly noticed how hot everything was. She was standing in a full astronaut suit, holding her helmet by her hip for the aesthetic, really. Above her left breast was the American flag embroidered onto the suit to signify her home country. The rest of the crew had the American flag pressed onto their suit, except Frank with the Canadian flag.</p>
<p>She genuinely believes that whoever decided to have things launch into space in Florida of all places deserved to die. Florida was hot enough as it is without wearing suits meant to withstand the vacuum of space, or the ship that would be spitting fire out of its bottom momentarily.</p>
<p>Before Annabeth even knew what was going on, her name was being called to speak to the audience. Percy patted her lower back reassuringly, and Annabeth made her way to the microphone so the millions of people here for them tonight – for <em>her</em> tonight – could hear her.</p>
<p>“Good afternoon,” Annabeth spoke into the microphone. “I’m so glad that we could have all of you join us today. It truly means the world to us to have this many people behind our backs supporting us.”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath before continuing.</p>
<p>“Today is a day to go down in history. Today is the beginning of a new era, as a group of one hundred strong crew members risk their lives to find a new tomorrow. A better tomorrow. The Earth is our home, and it always will be in our hearts, but there will come a day that it is no longer our friend. There will come a day that there is no longer a way around death – a way around the end of the world.”</p>
<p>“That day is not here yet, and it won’t be for a while, but it will come, one way or another. We have to be prepared for the worst, so some of the bravest people I have ever met are leaving our comfort behind to search for a safer future. One day, we <em>will</em> have a way to survive the inevitable. One day, we <em>will</em> find a new home, and we will bring you with us. Until that day, we offer our lives in exchange for the survival of humanity.”</p>
<p>“We will lead the human race with pride. We will make us strong. I know many of you stand before us today, scared of what is to come from this. No matter what happens, we will learn from this and we will improve the future. After all, that is the purpose of history.”</p>
<p>“I stand here today excited at the prospect of something new. I know that these seven astronauts standing beside me are proud to be here. They are courageous and strong, and they are passionate about this. We are so proud to have the opportunity to do this for each and every single one of you.”</p>
<p>“This is a new era, and if you’re reluctant to leave the past, don’t be. Be excited to enter the future. Thank you for showing us support. It is for you that we have the strength to enter tomorrow and leave the past with a smile on our face. It is for you that we take a step forwards and can look back grateful for what we’ve gotten to experience. After all, Neil Armstrong <em>did </em>say ‘That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.’”</p>
<p>Annabeth takes a step back from the microphone, running her fingers through her soft curls that had been fixed to flow smoothly down her back. The entire vicinity rang into applause, and Annabeth broke out into the biggest grin.</p>
<p>When she turned around to step back in line, she was met with Percy clapping for her, looking her deep in the eyes and smiling proudly.</p>
<p>They staged on the makeshift stage for a minute longer before they were ushered off the stage and into a backroom for families to say their final goodbye. The rest of the crew was already settled with their families, and everyone stopped to clap as the eight walked in.</p>
<p>Annabeth watched as Percy ran off towards his mom, and the clapping died down. She grew hopeful that she’d see her mom or dad, but they were nowhere to be found. Annabeth had just resigned herself to the sidelines when she felt someone tap on her shoulder.</p>
<p>“Chiron!” Annabeth said with a grin as she reached out to hug him the best she could with the suit on. “You came!”</p>
<p>“Of course I came!” Chiron caressed Annabeth’s head. “Malcolm wanted to come, but he had to stay for the launch.”</p>
<p>“Aw. I’m going to miss Malcolm so much.”</p>
<p>“Before you go into the cryogenic sleep, I’ll let him video call up to the ship after everything’s over.” Chiron gripped both of her arms and squeezed. I’m so proud of you, dear. You did amazing out there.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” she accepted.</p>
<p>“The suit fits you well. You belong out there on a ship.”</p>
<p>Annabeth laughed. “It’s so big and bulky.”</p>
<p>“You love it.”</p>
<p>“I do.”</p>
<p>Chiron looked her in the eyes before speaking again. “Tonight, mission control has your back. It’s never going to be the same without you two.”</p>
<p>Annabeth started tearing up. “I’m going to miss you so much.”</p>
<p>“Don’t dwell on it too much. By the time you wake up, we’ll all be nothing more than a distant memory.”</p>
<p>That <em>did</em> bring tears trailing down Annabeth’s face. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”</p>
<p>Chiron nodded and his lips twitched up into a smile. “I’m so happy for you. You’re going to do so well.”</p>
<p>“Stop making me cry,” she joked, wiping another tear from her eye. “The tears will float in space.”</p>
<p>“You belong in space. Your heart was made for this. Don’t let anything ruin it for you.” He leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. “Especially Percy. I’ve always thought he had a thing for you. Don’t tell him I said that, though.”</p>
<p>Annabeth laughed wetly, pulling him in for a last hug. “I won’t.”</p>
<p>Percy accosted the two, followed closely by his mom and little sister. “Am I interrupting a moment?”</p>
<p>Annabeth pulled away to wipe at her face with her gloved hands again. “You’re fine.”</p>
<p>Percy grabbed her arm, concerned. “Your parents didn’t show?”</p>
<p>She shook her head and pressed her lips together. “It’s okay.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s not.” Percy shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Annabeth.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. You just focus on saying goodbye to your family.”</p>
<p>Percy smiled at her adoringly before turning and pulling Chiron in for a hug.</p>
<p>Annabeth watched as Percy and Chiron exchanged their last goodbyes. She stood there awkwardly, not having anyone else to talk to anymore. She was about to wander off to the edge of the room again, but someone tapped her on the shoulder.</p>
<p>She didn’t recognize the lady when she turned around, but she didn’t need to because the lady introduced herself immediately.</p>
<p>“Hi! I’m Sally Jackson. Percy’s mom.”</p>
<p>Annabeth nodded and shook her hand cordially. “I’m Annabeth.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I know, dear. All Percy ever talks about is you.” Sally winked at her.</p>
<p>Annabeth laughed. “Is that so?”</p>
<p>“It’s so sweet. I must admit, I was a bit reluctant for Percy to leave, but this is what he wants. I felt a little bit better knowing you’d be going with him.”</p>
<p>“Really?” This was news to Annabeth.</p>
<p>“You and Percy have a natural chemistry. Do you think you could do me a favor?”</p>
<p>Annabeth tilted her head. “Of course! What is it?”</p>
<p>“Give Percy a chance.”</p>
<p>Annabeth choked. “What?”</p>
<p>“I know you and Percy fight a lot, but I really think there’s more to it. I think you two could become so much more if you just gave it a chance.”</p>
<p>Annabeth’s face flushed. “Uh–”</p>
<p>“A mother’s intuition is a superpower. Give it a chance, sweetheart.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Annabeth wheezed out.</p>
<p>“Now,” Sally said, looking around. “I don’t see your parents. Are they here?”</p>
<p>“They are not,” she said quietly. “They didn’t like the idea of me going, so they just stopped talking to me all together.”</p>
<p>Sally looked offended. “They did? That’s hardly fair.”</p>
<p>“I’ve gotten used to the idea by now.”</p>
<p>“Nonsense. Come here, you’re not leaving without a hug goodbye.”</p>
<p>Sally pulled Annabeth in close and squeezed her, despite the giant white suit Annabeth was in. Annabeth felt a sensation of warmth run through her – she can’t remember the last time she had gotten a mother’s hug. Her body began to tear up on reflex.</p>
<p>“Don’t cry, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you. You’re going to do great.”</p>
<p>Annabeth instinctively started crying harder, tears falling down her face. “I’m sorry–”</p>
<p>“Don’t apologize,” Sally demanded. “I understand, dear.”</p>
<p>Annabeth stayed like that for a few minutes, embraced in Sally’s arms and deeply missing her own mother. She doesn’t know how her own parents could reject her for following her dreams, but a stranger could accept her for her and make her feel more loved than she’s felt in such a long time.</p>
<p>“Did you make Annabeth cry?” Percy asked his mom. “That’s mean.”</p>
<p>“Shoo, Percy,” Sally said, swatting at his head. “Go hug your sister again.”</p>
<p>Percy did as told, squeezing her tight and peppering kisses around the little girl’s face. Sally pulled away from Annabeth and looked her in the eyes again.</p>
<p>“You deserve to be here. Everything you’ve done has led to this moment, so make it count. You are the sun; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”</p>
<p>Sally pulled away from Annabeth and stepped beside Percy. The astronauts were now being called to board the ship. The liftoff was in a little less than an hour. The tension in the room was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.</p>
<p>Percy stepped next to Annabeth. “Ready?”</p>
<p>“As ready as I’ll ever be.”</p>
<p>“Do you want to hold my hand?”</p>
<p>“Scared?” Annabeth teased.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Percy joked back, but his wobbly voice gave him away.</p>
<p>Annabeth’s eyes softened. “Me too.”</p>
<p>She took his hand and together they walked away from everything they’d ever know. With a glance over their shoulder, they waved one final goodbye to their friends and family, before stepping out of the room and onto the loading dock without a look back.</p>
<p>The eight main crew members boarded first, and Annabeth could see the crowd watching them all board from between the building and the giant ship. Annabeth’s eyes scanned the crowd one last time, and she saw—</p>
<p>Her parents.</p>
<p>Her mom and dad were standing hand in hand, and when they caught eyes with Annabeth, they started waving their hands around with ridiculous grins on their faces. Her dad held up a poster with her name painted across it, and his eyes looked proud. He was proud of his daughter.</p>
<p>Her parents were cheering her on, tears of encouragement, and no doubt sadness, falling from their faces. But they showed up. Her mom lifted a hand and blew a kiss to Annabeth, and suddenly everything felt like it was going to be okay.</p>
<p>With a deep breath and a squeeze from Percy’s reassuring hand, she took one step over the threshold onto the ship, and for once, she didn’t look back.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The ground of astronauts was sitting inside the ship, already locked in tight to the seat. Everyone had their helmets on and were awaiting the final launch that was set to begin in only ten minutes.</p>
<p>Annabeth was, thankfully, sitting next to Percy. The eight main members were strapped into their seats in a line and in front of the controls in the main cockpit of the ship. Everyone else was strapped in behind the group of eight. The room wasn’t as cramped as she had expected, and that was likely due to the humungous stance of the ship itself.</p>
<p>She turned her head inside the helmet to look at Percy, and he gave her his attention.</p>
<p>“Alright?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Terrified,” she admitted. “The gravity won’t play a role until later, so we’ll be floating a while.”</p>
<p>Percy tilted his head, which looked kind of funny given that his suit was so big it didn’t move with him. “Like Piper said, it’s effortless.”</p>
<p>“She also said we’ll probably end up puking in the suits.”</p>
<p>He chuckled. “Hope you didn’t have a big lunch.”</p>
<p>“You’re muffled. Something about a big lunch?”</p>
<p>He nodded.</p>
<p>“Do you think we’ll launch okay?”</p>
<p>Leo gasped, and their attention turned to him. “I’m insulted!”</p>
<p>“Why?” Annabeth asked.</p>
<p>“I created the ship. Of course we’ll launch okay! We’ll go up perfectly!”</p>
<p>Annabeth leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She could leave without regrets, but she swears that if this goddamn rocket explodes on the way up–</p>
<p>“Are you going to throw up before we even leave ground?” Percy asked, staring at her in concern.</p>
<p>“All over you,” she told him without opening an eye.</p>
<p>“It’ll be all over yourself, actually, so I’d avoid doing that.”</p>
<p>“Damn. I was looking forwards to it.”</p>
<p>“Snarky.”</p>
<p>“Please just be quiet,” she said. “I’ve never been to space and in twenty minutes, I will have.”</p>
<p>“I haven’t been either,” he said softly. “Let’s hold hands again.”</p>
<p>“This handholding thing is getting excessive.”</p>
<p>“Come on,” he complained, waving his hand around. “Gimme.”</p>
<p>Annabeth gave her his gloved hand and he squeezed in comfortingly. The next few minutes were spent with a few people chattering in the background, but it was mainly silent. Everyone was left to their own heads and thoughts, wondering just what they got themselves into. Annabeth actually jumped when the microphone in her ear sounded.</p>
<p>
  <em>“T-minus 60 seconds until launch.”</em>
</p>
<p>Annabeth tightened her grip on Percy’s hand. All at once, her mind started telling her to get off the ship. She wasn’t ready for this, but now it was here, and she was stuck, and she just wanted to get off.</p>
<p>They had told her to expect a large shaking in the ship once the actual launch began, and she hoped that the only thing she experienced would be shaking. She couldn’t hear the fire blasting on the thrusters, but she was sure they were on.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Ten, nine, eight, seven…”</em>
</p>
<p>The rest of the countdown slipped past her ears as she focused entirely on the way the rocket was shaking aggressively. The entire vicinity vibrated under the force of the launch, and all at once she could feel the ship move off from the ground.</p>
<p>There were people talking in her ear, some of whom she recognized from mission control in Texas, and her heart ached. She was terribly frightened, but she knew that they would get her up safe.</p>
<p>Percy squeezed her hand again, and she squeezed it back. He tried to tell her something, but it couldn’t be heard against the deafening noise of the liftoff. As the ship moved up, it became harder to move as her weight felt heavier and heavier with every second.</p>
<p>She focused on breathing and closed her eyes as she grounded herself in her thoughts. Percy was here next to her, and everyone knew what they were doing. The ship was tested thousands of times, and it would be fine to go up once more.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Exiting the thermosphere and entering the exosphere in three, two, one…”</em>
</p>
<p>The violent shaking of the metal seemed to settle down, and she found herself wondering if that was it. Had the eight minute voyage to space already been completed?</p>
<p>She listened for further instruction. Someone behind her threw up inside the helmet, and she tried not to focus on that.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Congratulations, everyone. Welcome to space.”</em>
</p>
<p>A clap broke out among the group, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. She turned her head to Percy who gave her a blinding grin.</p>
<p>“We made it,” he said.</p>
<p>“We did,” she said back. Her heart began to calm down, and she realized that she was no longer under the pressure of gravity. Her hand was floating effortlessly in the space in front of her, though her body was still strapped down.”</p>
<p>Someone crackled through the microphone. “Stay seated, everyone. Applying centrifugal force in three, two, one…”</p>
<p>There was a groaning of metal as the ship began to very slowly turn. It took a while to have the ship spinning fast enough to mimic gravity, but eventually Annabeth’s hand was falling back down to her side.</p>
<p>“I can’t believe that was it,” she said to Percy.</p>
<p>He looked around. “Tell that to everyone else. There’s like twenty people covered in their own vomit.”</p>
<p>She followed his eyes and was surprised to see that his words were, in fact, very true. “That’s disgusting.”</p>
<p>“I have to be honest. I thought you’d be the first to get sick.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for the vote of confidence.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Centrifugal force applied. Now engaging the final thrusters to reach 300,000 kilometers per second.”</em>
</p>
<p>Annabeth stayed silent, waiting for any sign that they were travelling at the speed of light, or at least anywhere near it. Honestly, it didn’t feel any different. If she hadn’t been told, she would’ve had no idea of how fast they were moving already.</p>
<p>Percy sighed, still holding her hand tight. “How does it feel? We’re finally here. Moving away from home at three-hundred kilometers every single second.”</p>
<p>“I feel… oddly okay.”</p>
<p>“Me too.” Percy scrunched his eyebrows. “I expected more emotion, but…”</p>
<p>“Glad it’s over?”</p>
<p>“I’d hardly say it’s over. Earth is still in view,” he said, looking out of a window as the fastly disappearing planet. “Goodbye, home.”</p>
<p>“It’s a bittersweet moment.” Annabeth breathed deeply. “We’re never going to see this again.”</p>
<p>He nodded sadly. “It’s the beginning of a new era.”</p>
<p>“Or, perhaps, it’s the beginning of the end.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Annabeth sat down to eat her last meal for thirteen million years. It was oddly calming. She sat in a giant cafeteria that was only filled with maybe twenty people. The rest were in their respective rooms mourning the loss of the only home they’ve ever known, with a few exploring the different aspects of the ship.</p>
<p>She lifted her fork to take a bite of her steaming pasta, and she chewed thoughtfully. She didn’t really know why there were rooms for every single person, since they’d all be spending the majority of the trip squished together in a room of one hundred cryopods anyways. Each to his own, she supposes.</p>
<p>Annabeth lifted a glass of water to her lips and took a few gulps, the icy liquid running its way down her throat. Everything felt so surreal and weird, and she just can’t believe that this is it. She’s on a ship that has an arcade and a bowling alley, and she’s about to be put to sleep. What in the actual heck.</p>
<p>“Whatcha doing?” Percy slid down next to her with his own tray of food.</p>
<p>She glanced at him and continued eating.</p>
<p>“Have you seen the ship? The arcade is huge, and the bar is stocked with only the finest of alcohols.”</p>
<p>“That’s so dumb. We can’t drink alcohol in space because it affects the body differently. You know that.”</p>
<p>“When we land,” he proposed. “It’ll be extra fermented then.”</p>
<p>“Sounds delicious,” she said, monotonously.</p>
<p>“Live a little.” He lifted a burger to take a bite. “They have freakin’ robots running this place. We don’t have to lift a muscle.”</p>
<p>She nodded. “It’s creepy. Let’s hope there’s not a robot mutiny on board the ship.”</p>
<p>“Though that would be awesome,” he said, pointing his burger at her in props.</p>
<p>“Where have you been, anyways?”</p>
<p>“Exploring,” he said with his mouth full. After he chewed, he continued. “I found something actually really nice. I’ll show you after we’re done; I think you’ll really like it.”</p>
<p>“What is it?”</p>
<p>“Wait and find out.” He wiggled his brows and took another bite. “It’ll be worth it.”</p>
<p>“Sure.” She shoved her tray away from her. “I’m done here, so waiting on you.”</p>
<p>“I’ll be quick.”</p>
<p>Percy managed to gulf down his burger faster than she blinked. At least, it felt that way. He got up and grabbed both his and her tray to put it away. Annabeth followed him up and out of the room.</p>
<p>“How far is this room?”</p>
<p>“It’s on the other side of the ship. Come on.” Percy dragged her to an elevator and shoved her inside. The door dinged closed with just the two of them on it.</p>
<p>“Are you taking me to an arcade?”</p>
<p>He rolled his eyes. “You’d hate going to an arcade, so no. Just relax, we’re almost there.”</p>
<p>The ride in the elevator was at least a minute long, and it even moved sideways at one point. When it finally opened again, it was like they had entered an alternate reality.</p>
<p>The floor they got out on was much more muted than the others, and there were windows frequently lining the walls of the ship. As he dragged her somewhere to the left of the floor, Annabeth noticed a sign pointing to the spacewalk area.</p>
<p>She didn’t have time to point out the spacewalk sign because he was leading her through two glass double doors, and her voice left her body.</p>
<p>In front of her was a giant room with comfortable suede couches and no bright lights shining overhead. What really took her breath away was the glass windows lining the walls of the room, from the ceiling to the floor. The outer edge of the room was curved so she could see a large amount of the vast expanse of space.</p>
<p>She walked up to the window as Percy stayed behind her, and she rested her hand against the cool glass. She could see stars lining the darkness, and when she looked to her right, she could see just barely see the Earth, with the blue oceans and swirling white clouds.</p>
<p>Annabeth leaned her shoulder against the glass and stared longingly at her home planet. She felt Percy walk up behind her and rest his palm against her waist comfortingly.</p>
<p>“I can see home,” she said softly, tears beginning to line the edge of her vision. The homesickness was already beginning to kick in, and she was glad she got to see the planet one last time before it vanished in the distance.</p>
<p>“It’s beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.</p>
<p>“It’s so far away already.” She frowned. “We’re moving so fast it’s barely a dot in the distance anymore.”</p>
<p>He nodded. “One last view. It’ll be gone soon enough.”</p>
<p>Annabeth turned around to give him a hug. She fit snugly under his arms. “Thank you,” she muttered against his shirt. “It’s perfect.”</p>
<p>“We came come back before we, you know…”</p>
<p>She wiped her face with her hand but stayed underneath his toned arms. “I don’t know if I can stand to come back and watch our planet disappear.”</p>
<p>He nodded, understanding. “Then we’ll come back when we wake up.”</p>
<p>“That won’t be anytime soon.”</p>
<p>“It’ll be sooner than you think. Once you fall asleep, time means nothing. It’ll feel like you blinked.”</p>
<p>“I hope so.” She wrapped her arms around him again.</p>
<p>Percy tightened his hold on her. “What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>She just shrugged.</p>
<p>“Tell me.”</p>
<p>“I’m just scared to go to sleep,” she admitted. “We have to wear pretty much nothing and step into a human cooler. They say it’s safe, but what if our blood crystalizes, or something terrible?”</p>
<p>“It won’t,” he reassured.</p>
<p>“What if we’re aware of being alive. Sure, it keeps us alive as long as we need, but who’s to say that we’re not mentally awake every agonizing second? Or if we end up in an endless nightmare?”</p>
<p>Percy rubbed her back. “You won’t be.”</p>
<p>“I just can’t get the thought out of my head.”</p>
<p>“It’ll be scary at first, but the cold will keep you calm.”</p>
<p>“But…” She snapped her mouth shut. “Nevermind.”</p>
<p>“No, what is it?”</p>
<p>“I’m scared to actually fall asleep. We have no control over it. Once we step in, we’re not in control of our body, and I hate that. What if we don’t wake up?”</p>
<p>Percy took a deep breath before answering. “We won’t have control, but you have to just trust everything will be okay. No matter what, you’re going into that pod tonight one way or another, so there’s no use freaking yourself out over it.”</p>
<p>“I’m just so scared.” Her voice was small.</p>
<p>“I’ll stay with you while you fall asleep, if you want.”</p>
<p>She looked up and rested her chin on his chest. “Will you?”</p>
<p>He nodded. “Of course.”</p>
<p>She looked back down and adjusted her arms around him. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“Anything for you.”</p>
<p>She didn’t even process his words until a moment later, but she decided to drop them. He rested his head on top of hers, and together they stood there, counting down the hours until they would be forced into the frozen sleep.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Annabeth shivered even looking at the cryopods. There was already about eighty people put to sleep, and she watched each person go under, which probably wasn’t a great idea for her anxiety.</p>
<p>She wrapped her arms around herself to fight the cold of the room. She only had on a sports bra and spandex shorts, something about making the process easier, and she was absolutely freezing.</p>
<p>The pods were glass so she could see the people already fast asleep inside, and she felt like she was watching ghosts. The pods lined the walls of the room, about forty on each side and then twenty lining the back wall of the room. It was so organized, and it just felt so unnatural.</p>
<p>Will Solace was helping someone step into a pod, and Annabeth watched as the girl settled back onto the hard surface and the door closed on top of her. Within seconds, she was already drifting away into sleep, and Will was watching her vitals to make sure she was safely under.</p>
<p>A few more minutes passed by and there was suddenly only five people left awake. Annabeth stood with Will and Percy in front of her, and Piper and Leo by her left side. No one wanted to be the next to fall asleep.</p>
<p>“So,” Will started. “Someone needs to go next.”</p>
<p>“Why don’t you go?” Leo asked.</p>
<p>“I’m the doctor. I’m supposed to make sure you’re actually asleep.”</p>
<p>“Fair point. I can’t because I’m the person who built them.”</p>
<p>They turned towards Percy, Piper, and Annabeth.</p>
<p>“No,” Annabeth said. “Not me.”</p>
<p>“You’ll be asleep within the next ten minutes. You might as well do it right now.”</p>
<p>“No,” she whined. “I need another second.”</p>
<p>They stood at a standstill, silently battling it out. Piper decided to break in.</p>
<p>“I’ll go.” She walked up to one of the last remaining pods. “Please don’t kill me.”</p>
<p>“You’ll be safer here than on Earth,” Will promised. “Step on in.”</p>
<p>Piper grabbed Will’s hand and lifted a foot over the border. “I’ll see you all in thirteen million years.”</p>
<p>Annabeth waved, and Piper winked back at her. “I’ll miss you.”</p>
<p>“You won’t even realize I’m gone,” Piper assured her.</p>
<p>Will set her back against the tilted platform and then closed the glass cover over her. Annabeth saw Piper give her one last smile before her entire body relaxed, and she too was gone.</p>
<p>Will turned around to ask the silent question, and Annabeth shook her head again. She just wasn’t ready for it. She needed another second.</p>
<p>Leo sighed. “I’ll do it. Give these two a second to say goodbye.”</p>
<p>Will smirked, and Annabeth looked insulted. Leo, that lucky kid, stepped into the pod already so Annabeth didn’t have a chance to hurt him. As Will put Leo to sleep, Annabeth turned to face Percy one last time.</p>
<p>“Will you still stay with me?” Annabeth asked.</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>“I’m scared.”</p>
<p>“I know. You’ll be okay.”</p>
<p>Annabeth took a moment to look Percy up and down.  He stood in nothing except tight shorts. His chest was exposed, and she noticed, not for the first time, the muscles lining his body. She averted her eyes.</p>
<p>“Tell me everything will work out. That when I wake up, we’ll be in Centaurus A.”</p>
<p>Percy stepped forwards and took her hand. “Hey. That’s not my enemy Annabeth I know.”</p>
<p>“Please.”</p>
<p>He rubbed her hand with his thumb. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”</p>
<p>Annabeth took a deep breath and took a step forwards to embrace him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and his warmth comforted her. When she spoke, it was so quiet that he barely caught it.</p>
<p>“I hope so.”</p>
<p>Annabeth let him go and backed up before he had the opportunity to say anything else. She looked at will.</p>
<p>“I’m ready.”</p>
<p>Will smiled and nodded, motioning her closer to a pod. Percy grabbed her hand again and followed behind her. When she stepped into the pod, it was Percy who helped her in. Her back settled against the platform, and chills instantly overtook her body. She rested against the back, her entire body straight.</p>
<p>Percy squeezed her hand one last time and leaned forwards. “Take a deep breath. I’ll see you soon.”</p>
<p>He looked like he was about to back up, but then he paused to press an unexpected kiss to her lips. Annabeth missed the comfort of him the second he pulled back. Neither of them acknowledged what he’d done.</p>
<p>He stepped back, and Will closed the door over her body. She watched Percy’s face, locked her eyes with his, until she felt the haze begin to overcome her. Percy gave her a soft smile and mouthed <em>‘You’ll be okay.’</em></p>
<p>Annabeth tried to muster a smile back, but she has no idea if she managed. She felt so drowsy, and she couldn’t move a muscle anymore. She tried to think of something, of anything, but her mind failed her.</p>
<p>In thirteen million years, she will awaken once again in what felt like the blink of an eye. She will have travelled her way across the expanse of the universe, and trudged through multiple galaxies. She will have passed a few black holes, albeit very far off in the distance, but she will have passed them, nonetheless. Everything would be okay.</p>
<p>Black began to overtake her vision. It started around the edges and worked its way in. Her heart rate slowed, and she knew she would lose consciousness within seconds. She felt a sense of halcyon overcome her. As the final bits of her vision disappeared, she concentrated on Percy’s face watching her through the glass. The last thing she would see was his face, bringing her comfort.</p>
<p>
  <em>Everything would be okay.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>2.7 Million Years Later</strong>
</p>
<p>Annabeth started with a gasp, her eyes darting frantically around her. She was met with the view of a dome-shaped glass, fogged up and closed tightly around her.</p>
<p>Her head pounded sharply, and her brain was hazy. She brought her palm up to rest against her forehead, contorting her face in pain. She couldn’t recall where she was, or why she was within the confined space, shivering aggressively. She sat still for minutes, focusing on not passing out from the pain in her head, and trying to recall what was going on.</p>
<p>Everything came flooding back to her, and she froze. It couldn’t have already been over – it was like she’d blinked, and thirteen million years had passed. She knew it was supposed to be a journey, but it felt way too fast regardless. What really alarmed her, though, was the fact that her body felt wrong. She had a splitting headache, and her body was throwing alarms her way, telling her that she was in trouble and something was severely <em>wrong.</em></p>
<p>She shoved her bad feeling aside and lifted her hand out to try and push the dome of the pod she was in. It took a bit more force than she’d expected, but it eventually let out with a hiss of air as it opened. She stumbled out of the glass confines and into a foreign room. The warmth of the room burned on her skin at first, it being such a drastic change in temperature.</p>
<p>Annabeth looked around, her vision still adjusting to the first light she’d seen in a very long time. She noticed the bed lining the wall on her right, covered with a white comforter tucked into its sides that was all too fancy for the mood of the ship. She hadn’t been there when she stepped into the pod, so she must’ve been automatically moved here sometime after the sleep began.</p>
<p>Her eyes moved to the left to try and figure out where she was when someone spoke behind her, scaring the living daylights out of her.</p>
<p>“Good morning, Captain Annabeth Chase,” a robotic voice spoke.</p>
<p>Annabeth whipped around, her entire back cracking loudly and painfully, to look for the source of the voice. When she didn’t find any physical form around her, she turned back around slowly. Had she just imagined it?</p>
<p>“I hope all is well for you as you wake up from your thirteen-million-year cryogenic sleep cycle.”</p>
<p>She, in fact, had <em>not </em>imagined it.</p>
<p>“As you awaken from your slumber, you are approximately one month from the galaxy of Centaurus A. Only the remainder of the essential crew has been woken up alongside you. You are currently residing in your personal cabin aboard the Argo II.”</p>
<p>Annabeth rubbed her head, massaging her temples with her fingers. The voice of the robot was high pitched and didn’t do anything to help her with the pain. Everything still felt so different and weird.</p>
<p>“We have given each of the members time to get readjusted with reality. You may meet at your own convenience, though it is recommended that the eight crew members meet to discuss the next course of action. We hope you enjoy your rest! If you have any remaining questions, feel free to use the computer located to your left.”</p>
<p>Annabeth’s eyes moved to her left where she noticed a computer mounted on a desk for the first time since waking up. The voice was no longer speaking, so she accosted the white table the computer was resting on and pulled out the chair to take a much-needed seat. She leaned forwards onto the desk and rested her head down on her crossed arms, closing her eyes seeking a moment of relief.</p>
<p>She hadn’t planned on going through the computer that moment, but when she looked back up, it’s glowing screen was staring her in the face. Her curiosity got the better of her, so she picked up the sleek white mouse and moved it to click login. The home screen opened without her needing to input any information, thank goodness. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to recall any username or password at the moment.</p>
<p>Once she opened it, a bunch of different apps bombarded her vision. She traced the mouse icon over each of them, reading the names of each until one in particular caught her eye. She clicked open an icon titled Location Tracker, curious to see exactly where in they were in respect to the galaxy. It loaded relatively quickly, and Annabeth stared at it for a few seconds, trying to make sense of what it was saying.</p>
<p>Annabeth stared at the small timeline present on the screen. On one side was a small Milky Way, and on the other was Centaurus A. The symbol for the Argo II was far behind the halfway mark between the galaxies.</p>
<p>She scrunched her eyebrows together and tilted closer to the screen. The timeline couldn’t be right, because she was awake which meant that they were a month from the final destination. It wasn’t possible that they’d barely made a dent in the journey.</p>
<p>Panicked, she continued clicking around the screen, looking for any sign that the computer was wrong. It was just old and not working anymore; it couldn’t be that they’d woken up ten million years too early.</p>
<p>“Come on,” she pleased to herself, searching every program on the computer. She needed any sign that she was wrong – that her gut feeling was off.</p>
<p>She clicked on an analytical program, and her heart dropped. No. <em>No</em>.</p>
<p>
  
  <em>10,254,789 lightyears remaining until entrance to Centaurus A.</em>
</p>
<p>“Oh my god.” Annabeth’s hand froze over the mouse. She couldn’t be awake early.  She just couldn’t be. If she was awake and it was only two million years into the trip, she’d die. She can’t die on this trip. After everything she’d been through, she just couldn’t die.</p>
<p>“No. No, no, no, this cannot be happening.” She brought her hand to her forehead and looked around her room. She didn’t even know where to begin. She wanted to tell herself that it wasn’t real, that the computer screwed up, that she was just reading it wrong, but she knew otherwise. She knew that she was irrevocably screwed.</p>
<p>Annabeth stood up at once and shoved her chair away behind her. Forget sleeping; she had to find someone else, anyone else that was still awake. It couldn’t be just her, or… She doesn’t even want to think that far ahead.</p>
<p>She looked down at what she was wearing, which was really nothing. She looked around the room for anything to pull over herself, and her eyes landed on a dresser lining the wall adjacent to the bed. Rushing over, Annabeth pulled a drawer open and grabbed the first sweater and pair of jeans she could find, which just happened to be a blue Embry Riddle hoodie and a pair of black ripped skinny jeans.</p>
<p>Annabeth sprinted out of the room and took a left down a long hall, looking for a sign that anyone else was there with her. When she found no one around, she continued on to find the ship’s main control room, hoping that someone’d gone there to figure out what the hell was going on.</p>
<p>She pressed a button for the elevator, and it came almost instantaneously, so she stepped on and pushed for the fifth floor, where she knew the control room was. The doors closed behind her, and she stood impatiently, her mind wandering around to the worst of the situation.</p>
<p>If she was awake, and she obviously wasn’t supposed to be, then something was seriously wrong. The engineers of the ship must’ve made a mistake– a life-altering mistake. If the engineers supposedly never made mistakes, and they did in this case, the probability that they made another was so slim. Chances were that Annabeth was alone on the ship, and the thought paralyzed her with fear.</p>
<p>When the doors dinged open once again, she stumbled through them and down the vacant space towards the room she was desperately seeking. She did find the doors, but they didn’t open when she pushed on them. She groaned and tried to push the door in again, when her eyes landed upon—</p>
<p>An access card scanner.</p>
<p>She let out a loud string of curses, looking around her for another way to get in. She hadn’t been given a keycard to begin with, so how the hell was she expected to get into the main room of the entire goddamn ship? She patted her body for a card in some desperate attempt to get in, to find out if she’s really as alone in the middle of space as she feels.</p>
<p>She didn’t find the card on herself, go figure, and tears began to line her eyes. She couldn’t even get into the room, and she wasn’t supposed to be here, and everyone she knows is now asleep or dead.</p>
<p>She was just about ready to turn around and go bang her head against the wall in her room for the rest of eternity, when the metal doors of the control room slid open silently in front of her. She stared at the space in front of her, desperately trying to process what had just happened, when she caught sight of someone in the room in front of her.</p>
<p>“Will,” she breathed, making her way towards him. “Can you please explain what’s going on, because–”</p>
<p>Will turned to her and she found his eyes bloodshot and glossy. “I don’t know.”</p>
<p>She scoffed, ready to have a breakdown. “Why are we here?”</p>
<p>Will wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “I have no idea why we’re here. We’re too far from Centaurus A, and until now, I haven’t found anyone else here.”</p>
<p>Annabeth stood still, at a loss for words. “I don’t…”</p>
<p>“It’s insane, I know.” He sniffled and rubbed his face in exhaustion. “For some reason, we woke up with barely a dent in the travel time. I came here to try and figure it out, but I don’t understand any of this. I mean, I got basic training, but I was supposed to be a doctor here.”</p>
<p>She nodded and stepped up to the center control panel that was situated in front of a giant ceiling to floor window. “I’ll try. I just need to…”</p>
<p>Someone else burst in through the open doors of the control room, breathing heavily. “What the fuck is happening?”</p>
<p>Annabeth whipped around at the familiar voice. Percy’s eyes met her, and relief flushed across his face for a split second before panic took over again. He rushed towards Annabeth and scooped her into his arms, swaying back and forth as he muttered thanks into the top of her head.</p>
<p>“<em>Annabeth,</em>” he sighed. She could feel his heart pounding through his chest.</p>
<p>“Percy.” She breathed in his scent, shoving her nose into his shirt that he must’ve put on sometime after waking up.</p>
<p>Percy stood up straight, still keeping Annabeth within his broad arms. “Why are we awake and still ten million lightyears away from Centaurus?” he asked no one in particular.</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” she cried into his chest. “Something is very, very wrong.”</p>
<p>Will shook his head in disbelief. “We aren’t supposed to be here. This – it’s impossible.”</p>
<p>Annabeth straightened, pulling herself from Percy to walk towards the control board that held the ship’s analytics on a giant touchscreen. “It has to be here somewhere. Whatever went wrong, it couldn’t have happened without some trail.” She pressed something, and muttered under her breath, “At least I hope it did.”</p>
<p>She clicked around the screen, looking at the settings under a cryosleep tab for an answer to the whole mess. She didn’t find anything, so she kept moving around the screen, clicking every tab to view every piece of data on the ship. She managed to grasp most of it, but her brain was still hazy.</p>
<p>“<em>Fuck</em>!” Someone stomped their foot on the ground loudly. “You’re alive!”</p>
<p>Annabeth looked over her shoulder and found Leo, who’d been the one to scream, Piper, and Jason standing in the middle of the doors. She turned back around to the task at hand, choosing to let Will and Percy converse with the three.</p>
<p>“Does anyone know what’s happening?” Jason asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Piper continued. “According to my computer, we aren’t in the galaxy. And by not in, I mean real fucking far.”</p>
<p>Percy made a strangled sound. “We have no idea.”</p>
<p>“I left my room, and found these two,” Piper continued, pointing over her shoulder, “running around like headless chickens.”</p>
<p>“Given the situation, I think it’s acceptable,” Jason said.</p>
<p>Annabeth bit her tongue in concentration, clicking on a button to illuminate the screen onto a circular table in the center of the room that seated exactly eight people around it. The display appeared in a hologram in the center of the circular table of computers and machines, and everyone stared at it.</p>
<p>Annabeth ditched the screen she was at in favor of the hologram. She walked up to it and leaned her arms onto the table to take a closer look at everything.</p>
<p>“Leo,” she started. “Where’s the engine data?”</p>
<p>Leo stammered and stood next to her. “It should be under the analytics tab.” He clicked around the hologram as everyone watched. “There it is,” he said, pointing.</p>
<p>Annabeth clicked the fuel tank data, and the hologram flickered red in front of their eyes. Annabeth stared at it, her stomach dropping to her feet.</p>
<p>“Oh shit.”</p>
<p>Leo’s eyes went wide. “It can’t be…”</p>
<p>Percy looked between the two of them frantically. “What? What is it?”</p>
<p>Annabeth pressed her hand to the side of her face and met his eyes. “The fuel. We’re out of fuel.”</p>
<p>“That’s not possible!” Percy walked to stand next to her. “We’re barely into the trip, and they made sure we had enough for two round trips.”</p>
<p>She shrugged, clearly in shock.</p>
<p>The six circled around the hologram, expressions grim. Leo meddled with the controls, and another issue popped up.</p>
<p>“The fuel’s leaking. That’s why it’s gone,” Leo said.</p>
<p>“How the hell is it leaking!?” Annabeth clenched her fist. “You made this ship to be foolproof and it’s fucking leaking?”</p>
<p>Leo pressed around the hologram frantically. “It wasn’t leaking when we left! Something had to have happened afterwards.”</p>
<p>Piper interrupted. “Guys, what’s that?” she said, pointing to another flashing icon.</p>
<p>Leo clicked it, and everything fell silent. The screen was flashing with a million problems, all falling back to the leaking fuel tanks.</p>
<p>Two pairs of footsteps were heard from behind, and when the group turned around, they were met with Reyna and Frank looked flustered as can be.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong?” Frank asked hesitantly, scanning their grim faces.</p>
<p>When no one answered, Annabeth spoke up. “We’re out of fuel.”</p>
<p>Reyna walked up to the table, followed by Frank. “What do you mean we’re out of fuel?”</p>
<p>“<em>I mean</em>,” Annabeth stressed, “that the fuel tanks are leaking and now we can’t make it to Centaurus A.”</p>
<p>Piper slapped her hands onto her side. “We have to have backup fuel somewhere!”</p>
<p>Leo shook his head. “Practically every tank is destroyed. Any backup fuel we did have is long gone by now.”</p>
<p>“Hold on,” Percy said, holding his hands up in front of him. “Is this why we were woken up? Because there’s no more fuel to keep this thing running?”</p>
<p>Leo nodded, looking down in shame.</p>
<p>“Then why weren’t we woken up long before it became critical?” he asked, deadly calm. “How did become this critical in the first place!?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Leo said miserably. “Something went wrong.”</p>
<p>“You think?” Annabeth spat.</p>
<p>“There’s no use fighting,” Reyna tried to console. “We need to just figure out what we’re going to do.”</p>
<p>“There’s nothing left to do,” Jason noted. “If we’re almost out of fuel, there’s no way we’ll make it there, and there’s no way we’ll make it home. We have no options.”</p>
<p>Annabeth clenched her jaw. “We can’t be out of options,” she snapped to him before addressing Leo. “Is anyone else awake, or is it just the main eight?”</p>
<p>“Uhh…” Leo turned to the computer at his desk and tapped away at it. “It looks like it’s just us.”</p>
<p>“Good.” She nodded. “We can’t wake anyone until we figure out what’s going to happen.”</p>
<p>“What is that exactly?” Percy glowered at her. “What exactly is going to happen then?”</p>
<p>Annabeth looked at him, shocked at his anger that was directed towards her. “I’m assuming that’s why we were woken up. To figure out what’s next.”</p>
<p>Leo sighed. “There’s nothing next. We can fix the fuel tanks, but we aren’t going to be able to keep going without all the fuel we lost.”</p>
<p>“But isn’t there any other way to run the ship? Piper asked.</p>
<p>Leo shook his head. “We can power the inside of the ship, but without fuel, we won’t actually be able to move anywhere. We won’t make it home, and we sure as hell won’t make it to Centaurus A.”</p>
<p>“How are you powering the rest of the ship?” Frank asked. “Maybe we can somehow get it to move the ship itself.”</p>
<p>“It won’t be possible,” Annabeth responded. “Powering the ship versus moving the ship would take significantly different amounts of energy that we don’t have a way of making.”</p>
<p>“We could rely on inertia,” Will offered. “The ship will die, but we’re already moving, so that shouldn’t change, right?”</p>
<p>“It’s a longshot,” Reyna said. “We wouldn’t be able to actually land at all, so it would be pointless. Besides, we might lose the centrifugal force at some point, and there will likely be other problems to pop up that’ll kill us before we get there.”</p>
<p>“<em>Are</em> there any other problems with the ship?” Percy asked.</p>
<p>“A plethora,” Leo said. “They all stem from the fuel leakage, and we can’t fix that as easily without landing.”</p>
<p>“So we need to land,” Annabeth said blankly.</p>
<p>Everyone looked at her.</p>
<p>“We’re going to run out of fuel very soon. Based on the data, we have maybe two or three months until we’re stuck in space forever. If we land, we can at least try to fix something, or figure out some other way to keep moving. If we’re lucky, we’ll find some substance similar enough to the fuel to keep going.”</p>
<p>“But we have no idea where we are,” Percy said skeptically.</p>
<p>“We have to figure that out.” Annabeth snapped her fingers and pulled up a map of the path they’re on onto the hologram.</p>
<p>“We’re here,” Leo pointed out. “We’re approximately two million seven hundred lightyears from home. We aren’t in the Milky Way anymore, that’s for sure. Based on the surrounding stars, we’re certainly in a galaxy, and probably closer to the center.”</p>
<p>“Closer to a giant black hole, then. Fantastic,” Will complained.</p>
<p>“We’re ten million three hundred lightyears from our destination,” Percy added. “Any ideas yet?”</p>
<p>Everyone shook their heads.</p>
<p>Annabeth was leaning on the desk again, feeling incredibly sick. How could everything go so wrong so fast? They weren’t going to make it home, and they weren’t going to make it there either. They were likely going to die in space because the ship decided to malfunction and now they had no fuel to go anywhere. By some stroke of miracle, if they found somewhere promising to land, which was highly unlikely considering how spread out everything in the twisted universe was, they’d still probably die from the new environment.</p>
<p>With their luck, they’d probably end up on a planet of poison air and giant people-eating aliens. Annabeth knew they were probably so screwed, especially if they didn’t know where they were. How did a group of trained astronauts end up stranded in space without an ounce of idea of where they were? It was beyond Annabeth, really.</p>
<p>“Doesn’t the map tell you what galaxy we’re in?” Piper asked desperately.</p>
<p>“It should, but it looks like it’s glitching,” Leo answered, watching the hologram flicker. “I don’t know why it wouldn’t be showing it.”</p>
<p>“We need to figure this out,” Frank said. “Sooner rather than later.”</p>
<p>Reyna nodded. “Think, people. We’re still headed in the direction of Centaurus A, so we’re headed East of the Milky Way. Anyone know what’s three million lightyears East of the Milky Way?”</p>
<p>The group continued conversing, attempting to figure out where exactly they were before they could start analyzing possible landing locations. Annabeth’s mind ran off on its own, trying to solve the puzzle.</p>
<p>If there had been a galaxy in the middle of Centaurus A and the Milky Way, the crew should’ve known about it. The programs of the ship were malfunctioning, but that was the ones directly correlated to fuel intake. If the hologram wasn’t directly interacting with fuel, there was no reason it should’ve been malfunctioning, so the hologram couldn’t be wrong… it just wasn’t right either.</p>
<p>If the hologram wasn’t showing a galaxy, then it’s because there wasn’t one, except there clearly was a galaxy because they were smack in the middle of it. It was there, but it wasn’t there at the same time. At least, it wasn’t there three million years ago.</p>
<p>Three million years ago, the path to Centaurus A was clear. There was no galaxy three million lightyears East of Earth, so it had to have moved into the path sometime within the beginning of the trip and now. Annabeth racked her brain for the galaxies that surrounded the Milky Way. She couldn’t think of any that had been moving East of the Milky Way.</p>
<p>Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think of anything she’s missing. Something moved in the way of the Milky Way and Centaurus A, and it had to have been moving fast enough to make it within three million years. There weren’t any galaxies moving fast enough it that direction except…</p>
<p>“Triangulum.”</p>
<p>The room fell silent, and all eyes moved towards Annabeth in explanation.</p>
<p>“It’s Triangulum,” she repeated.</p>
<p>“Annabeth…” Percy said cautiously. “Triangulum is nowhere near three million lightyears East of the Milky Way.”</p>
<p>“It wasn’t,” she said. “But galaxies move. We didn’t take into account the galaxies moving themselves.”</p>
<p>“Is that possible?” Will asked.</p>
<p>“Think about it,” Annabeth told them. “If there was a galaxy here when we first departed, we’d know about it. The only way we could be missing an entire galaxy in our map is if it was never there to begin with. Galaxies move, and Triangulum was the only galaxy within range of making it between the other two.”</p>
<p>“But Triangulum used to be South of the Milky Way. How would it possibly make it between?”</p>
<p>“It had to be moving at an angle,” Annabeth confirmed. “It’s the only possible galaxy we could be in.”</p>
<p>“If you’re right, we’re entirely in trouble. Do you know how many habitable planets there are in Triangulum?” Percy asked.</p>
<p>“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Annabeth turned to Leo. “Is there a way to check constellations to confirm?”</p>
<p>Leo licked his lips and nodded. “Let me just pull it up…”</p>
<p>Annabeth crossed her arms to comfort herself. Leo pulled up a live view of the stars surrounding her, and Annabeth pointed towards a general area.</p>
<p>“It’s the Triangulum constellation,” she said. “It’s turned, but the angles stayed the same. We’re in the Triangulum galaxy.”</p>
<p>Percy muttered a curse under his breath.</p>
<p>“Now what?” Frank stared at Annabeth. “We need to find somewhere to land, and I’m guessing there’s not many habitable zones within two months of traveling.”</p>
<p>Annabeth lifted the side of her mouth. “Correct.”</p>
<p>“Is there a chance of finding a habitable planet?” Will asked.</p>
<p>“There’s a possibility,” Percy started. “But I’d say odds are against us. We weren’t prepared to look for a home in Triangulum, and even if we found a planet within the goldilocks zone, chances are there will be millions of other ways to die.”</p>
<p>“The atmosphere might be nonexistent, or we’d end up on a planet with terrible storms,” Annabeth added.</p>
<p>“If we find something we need to survive, we’ll have to forfeit another,” Percy ended.</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Reyna asked.</p>
<p>“For example, we could find a planet filled with only water.” Annabeth ran her hand through her tangled curls. “We’d have water, but no source of food.”</p>
<p>“Or we’ll find a planet with food and water, but a poisonous atmosphere,” Leo continued.</p>
<p>“Basically, it’s a shot in the dark.” Percy shifted his weight onto his other foot.</p>
<p>Annabeth chuckled darkly.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Welcome to Triangulum.”</em>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>One Week Later</strong>
</p>
<p>Annabeth sat on her bed with a bunch of books open in front of her. She was trying to find anything that might help them survive, but she was at a standstill. She felt like the books were mocking her, purposely staring her in the eyes and securing a death tag around her big toe.</p>
<p>She was looking for any planets mentioned in the textbooks that might’ve been a possible solution, or just for things to look for when analyzing whether or not planets were habitable at all. The books were of zero help, which made Annabeth want to throw a tantrum.</p>
<p>She flopped backwards with a groan, covering her eyes with her hands. Her head was pounding again, no doubt due to the stress of the entire situation. The reading for hours at a time probably didn’t do her any good, either.</p>
<p>Someone knocked at her door and she didn’t even bother to look up before muttering a, “Come in.”</p>
<p>The person opened the door, and it moved silently on its hinges. She still didn’t look up to greet the intruder. It could only be one of seven people, after all.</p>
<p>“You doing okay there?”</p>
<p>Annabeth rolled her eyes and rolled over onto her side to look Percy in the eyes.</p>
<p>“I’m going to have a heart attack.”</p>
<p>“Definitely don’t do that.” Percy closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of her bed. “What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“What isn’t?” she countered.</p>
<p>He hummed in agreement. “We’re doomed to die in space, but we were already planning on doing that anyways.”</p>
<p>“Not like this, Percy.” Annabeth sat up. “We weren’t supposed to die like this.”</p>
<p>Percy nodded in agreement and started picking at the white comforter lining her bed. Annabeth watched him as he did so, and the two of them fell into a silence that neither of them were too keen to break.</p>
<p>Percy cleared his throat. “Jason and Frank have been working in the control room. They’re looking for anywhere that seems promising.”</p>
<p>Annabeth glanced down to her books and flipped through a few pages. “The most promising thing right now is death.”</p>
<p>“Debbie-downer.”</p>
<p>“I speak only the truth.”</p>
<p>“Annabeth.”</p>
<p>She looked up, raising an eyebrow questioningly.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>She quirked her head. “For what?”</p>
<p>Percy rubbed the back of her neck. “The day that we were put to sleep, I told you that everything would be okay.”</p>
<p>“That’s not your fault, Percy.” She reached forwards to squeeze his arm. “You couldn’t have known.”</p>
<p>He looked up to avoid eye contact. “Except, I did know. I had a feeling, anyways.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“Something just didn’t feel right that day. I had a feeling I couldn’t shake, but I told you everything would be fine and… it wasn’t.”</p>
<p>“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, a stabbing feeling in her gut.</p>
<p>“You were so scared, and I didn’t want to scare you more. I just wanted you to feel comfortable.”</p>
<p>She ran through his words in her mind. He had felt something off, and so did she. Based on her earlier conversation with a few of the other members, everyone had had some sort of sinking feeling. Call it intuition, she supposes.</p>
<p>“There’s nothing we can do about it now,” she reassured. “All we can do is pray that we find a way through it.”</p>
<p>“Be honest with me. Do you really think we’re going to figure this out?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know, Percy.” She blew air from her lips. “I don’t know.”</p>
<p>“What do you think the odds are?”</p>
<p>“I don’t— not good.” She threw her hands up. “Odds are stacked up against us, but we have to at least try.”</p>
<p>“So odds are we’ll end up dead on this spaceship. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t want to live the rest of my short life with regrets.”</p>
<p>Annabeth laughed, exasperated. “Then don’t. Go party with the whole ship to yourself, but I’m going to keep trying.”</p>
<p>“That’s not what I’m saying.”</p>
<p>“Then what are you saying?”</p>
<p>“Annabeth. Look at me.”</p>
<p>She brought her eyes to his slowly, her hands pausing over the page of some old astrophysics textbook she’d been reading. His eyes were serious, and he looked like he was ready to cry, or spontaneously combust, or both at the same time.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to live with regrets.”</p>
<p>Annabeth opened her mouth to respond, to ask him what he meant, but the way he looked into her eyes, into her soul, answered the question for him.</p>
<p>Percy’s lips pressed into hers, and she felt heat flood through her body in immediate response. She wasn’t sure who moved first, but she did know that she didn’t care. His lips were soft against hers, and she could smell the ocean scent of his body, she could feel the warmth of his body pressed up against her.</p>
<p>Percy leaned Annabeth back, keeping their lips locked, and Annabeth made quick work shoving the books onto the cold metal floor, paying no mind to the loud clattering as they hit. Percy pressed against her harder, and Annabeth found herself gasping into his mouth. She could feel him– every heated inch of him against her, and Annabeth couldn’t breathe.</p>
<p>She tugged his shirt off, and hers quickly followed. Clothes were strewn across the room, and she didn’t care, because she wanted him. She needed him, and he was right. She couldn’t die with regrets.</p>
<p>As the rest of clothes flew off, Percy trailed kisses behind her ear and down her neck, taking time to suck a bruise into her smooth skin. Annabeth arched her back and gasped, threading her hand into his hair to pull him back to her face. She caught onto his lips again, and she breathed a sigh of relief, relishing in his smell, and his warms, his soft and caring persona, his sweet whispers into her ear for the two of them and no one else. She pleaded for him, needing him more now than ever. She wanted, she <em>needed</em> him against her harder, and inside her. She needed <em>him.</em></p>
<p>Annabeth’s legs fell open to him, and he kissed her sweetly. She grabbed onto his shoulder blades tightly, catching his lips again and then smiling into the crook of his neck as he entered her. No regrets, no regrets, no regrets. She needed him, she needed him so badly, and it was now or never.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Hours later, they laid under a thin blanket, wrapped in each other’s arms. Annabeth rested her head on his bare chest, and her legs tangled together with his. She had a content grin on her face as they sat there, holding the other tightly.</p>
<p>Annabeth was dozing off in his warm arms, her eyes slowly blinking and her breathing settling down. Exhaustion was deep within her bones, and she could barely keep herself grounded to reality as her eyes kept fluttering closed. Percy simply ran his fingers up and down her naked back, which only made it harder to not doze off.</p>
<p>She eventually gave into the haziness fogging her head, shutting her eyes and listening to the soothing sound of Percy’s heartbeat. She fell into a dreamless sleep that lasted all of two seconds.</p>
<p>“Annabeth! You’ll never–”</p>
<p>Annabeth’s eyes snapped open and she was met with Piper staring Percy and Annabeth, her jaw slack. Piper kept looking back and forth between the two of them, and then at the clothes no doubt in plain sight all over the room.</p>
<p>Annabeth sat up, holding the blanket to her chest, and her face flushed, mortified. Piper stayed silent far longer than necessary, and then she started laughing so hard tears streamed from her eyes.</p>
<p>“You two–” Piper couldn’t even finish her sentence without choking of laughter.</p>
<p>Annabeth scrunched her nose and scooted away from Percy subtly. God, this might actually have been the worst moment in all of her two million years of life.</p>
<p>“Leo found something,” Piper managed, wiping at her face and backing out of the doorframe. “He wanted me to come get you, Annabeth. Two in one, I guess.”</p>
<p>“Piper,” Annabeth deadpanned. “Shut up.”</p>
<p>“Leo wants all of us in the control room,” she finished before turning around. “Jason went to go get Percy but looks like that wasn’t needed after all.”</p>
<p>“We’ll be there,” Annabeth snapped dropping her head to her hands. Percy awkwardly rubbed her back, and she noticed he hadn’t spoken the entire time. He was probably at a complete loss for words.</p>
<p>“And it’s your choice, but I’d definitely recommend putting some clothes on,” Piper called out over her shoulder, the mirth in her voice painfully obvious.</p>
<p>“Yes, thank you, Piper.”</p>
<p>Piper could be heard long after she shut the door, and Annabeth considered opening the doors to the ship and jumping off of it. It had to be better than the teasing she’d surely endure in the next hour.</p>
<p>Annabeth hopped off the bed to grab her strewn clothes, leaving Percy to deal with himself. She threw her clothes on quickly and then made her way out the door, not bothering to look back at Percy, or wait for him.</p>
<p>God, what did she do?</p>
<hr/>
<p>“There you are,” Piper teased. “I thought you might’ve gotten… <em>distracted</em>.”</p>
<p>“Don’t make me kill you,” Annabeth threatened.</p>
<p>“You should’ve locked the door.”</p>
<p>“You should’ve knocked,” Annabeth countered.</p>
<p>“Are we missing something?” Leo looked at the two of them, noting Annabeth’s flushed face and messed up hair.</p>
<p>“No,” Annabeth said at the same time as Piper said, “Yes.”</p>
<p>“O-kay,” Jason stretched. “Annabeth, do you know where Percy is?”</p>
<p>Piper went to open her mouth, but the death stare silenced her effectively.</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>The group waited for Percy and Will to show up, making small talk in a useless attempt to settle their nerves over whatever had been found. When Percy finally showed up and he took a place next to Annabeth, she did her best not to flinch or move away. She wasn’t in the mood to be next to him, or anywhere near him that is, at the given moment. Everything was exceptionally awkward, and she was beginning to wish she’d thought twice about what she’d done; now wasn’t the time to be hooking up with someone.</p>
<p>“I guess we’ll begin,” Leo started. “First things first, I sent a message to Earth explaining the situation. I have no idea when they’re going to answer, or if they will at all, so let’s keep our fingers crossed.”</p>
<p>“What did you say?” Annabeth asked.</p>
<p>“I told them where we are and what’s happening. Hopefully we’ll be able to contact them once we land and give exact coordinates.”</p>
<p>“That’s if we land, though,” Reyna stated.</p>
<p>“Not anymore. Jason?”</p>
<p>Jason nodded and laced his fingers together in front of him. “We found a potential landing spot. It’s about a month away from here, and it seems promising enough.”</p>
<p>“Okay, well, can you tell us a bit more than that?”</p>
<p>“Frank’s probably your best bet.” Jason waved his hand for Frank to speak.</p>
<p>“This planet will be named T-720 for right now, since it’s the number of hours until we can reach it. It’s supposedly within the goldilocks zone of the sun, and it was found to contain both water and land.”</p>
<p>Annabeth blinked. “Supposedly?”</p>
<p>“Its sun is a red dwarf, so it needs to be closer to the sun than Earth was, which it is. It rotates similarly to Earth, so it theoretically has seasons, but we don’t know exactly what to expect.”</p>
<p>“What about the land and water?” Percy asked.</p>
<p>“The planet is much bigger than Earth– a little more than three times the size. There’s about forty percent land and sixty percent water.”</p>
<p>“Atmosphere?”</p>
<p>“Several layers. Let’s just pray they’re composed of enough oxygen and carbon dioxide.”</p>
<p>“And nitrogen, and phosphorous, and calcium, and a million other substances that we’ll need if we’re going to live there,” Annabeth said dangerously calm. “What does it look like?”</p>
<p>“That’s the thing. Uh– it looks green?”</p>
<p>“…Like Earth?”</p>
<p>“No… It has some weird green hue over the entire thing. Think jungle-esque.”</p>
<p>“A green hue.” Annabeth grit her teeth together. “Did you try and figure out why there’s a green hue, or did you assume it to not be important?”</p>
<p>Frank stuttered nervously. “I think it’s a weird shadow that the sun is casting.”</p>
<p>“You <em>think</em>?”</p>
<p>“We can’t know everything without being closer, or on the planet.”</p>
<p>“We won’t know everything if getting on the planet kills us,” she countered. “Can we see this planet?”</p>
<p>Leo clicked something and it projected onto the hologram for everyone to see. It was a bit bigger, and it was tinted red and green, a contrast to Earth’s refreshing blue and green. What caught Annabeth’s eye was the sun. Correction: suns.</p>
<p>“You failed to mention the binary stars.”</p>
<p>“It’ll just orbit the same way,” Frank assured.</p>
<p>“I’m an astrophysicist, so I’m aware of that. I also know that binary stars can greatly impact weather.”</p>
<p>“Or cause a cataclysmic apocalypse,” Percy added jokingly. “Man, I miss movies.”</p>
<p>Annabeth tensed. “Are we sure this is our only option?”</p>
<p>“We’re going to keep looking and analyzing it, but it seems so. Everything else is either inhabitable, or way too far away.”</p>
<p>She nodded grimly.</p>
<p>“We’ll need your help analyzing it a bit more,” Jason told her. “Try and learn about it as much as we can from above before exploring on feet, you know?”</p>
<p>“We have a lot to do then,” Annabeth told the group. “Let’s get to work.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>One Month Later</strong>
</p>
<p>The group stood in front of the window of the control room, watching closely as they neared the giant planet. Leo was manually flying the ship into the atmosphere, and they were getting closer to landing by the second.</p>
<p>The planet was eerily calm, and it made Annabeth incredibly nervous. It felt like something would pop up at any second and swallow the ship whole, which would be pretty fitting considering the luck they’d been having on the trip.</p>
<p>They watched in silence as Leo settled the ship onto the ground, and the entire vessel shook as it touched solid dirt. Or, what was assumed to be dirt. They couldn’t be entirely sure yet. No one said anything for a while; they all just looked outside at the area they’d landed in, searching for any possible threat.</p>
<p>It looked similar to a jungle, with a green and red hue projecting into the air. There was a lot of fluffy grass in front of the open field they’d landed in, and the bark of the trees lining the distance was a reddish brown, which added to the feeling of <em>this is so wrong oh my god this isn’t Earth, what have we done?</em> You know, the norm.</p>
<p>“We should probably start searching around soon,” Percy said, breaking the tense silence.</p>
<p>Annabeth shot him a disgusted look, and he returned the steely gaze. She rolled her eyes and looked away, not wanting to look at him in fear of strangling him with her bare hands. Over the course of the past month, Percy and Annabeth had grown distant as Annabeth went out of her way to avoid him after their, in her opinion, awkward encounter, which escalated into a nasty brawl in the middle of the metal halls.</p>
<p>
  <em>Percy followed Annabeth out of the control room angrily, reaching forwards to grab her arm and stop her from running. Annabeth snatched her arm from his grasp, cradling it in her own arms.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What is your problem?” he hissed. “Why are you acting like you can’t stand to be in the same room as me?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Because I can’t!” She turned around and tried to storm off again, but he just followed her.</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Stop acting like a child and talk to me!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>She whipped around. “Me? I have to stop acting like a child?” She scoffed in disbelief and pointed a finger into his chest. “Maybe if you could get it into your thick skull that I don’t want to be with you– that what we did was purely physical– then I could stop ‘acting like a child.’”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You can’t do what you did and say the things you said and then suddenly turn around acting like I’m the worst thing to ever happen to you– like I’m disgusting.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Annabeth clenched her fist. “I don’t love you. I don’t want to be with you.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>“You at least owe me an explanation. Why can’t you even stand to be in the same room as me? Why do you have to avoid me every single chance you get?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Because I don’t want you!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Percy shook his head, his eyes flashing in pain. “You don’t have a right to make snide remarks and treat me like a piece of shit because you don’t ‘want’ me.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I haven’t–”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You have. I have no idea what type of psychopath you have to be to let me get close to you, knowing how I felt about you, and then push me away, but it doesn’t matter. You should’ve talked to me instead of insulting me in front of everyone.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I didn’t do anything.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Ask any one of the crew and they’ll say the opposite.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Annabeth was fuming.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I want to hear you say it.”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What?” she snapped.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want anything to do with me instead of doing whatever the hell you’ve been doing this past month.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’ll do you one better.” She took a step towards him. “I don’t love you. I don’t want you. I want nothing to do with you, and I never want to see you again. What happened in that room was a mistake. Not only was it a terrible mistake, but I regret it so deeply that I feel it in my bones. You are the last person I would want to be with.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Percy looked shocked, like he’d been slapped across the face.</em>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>“Now, I’m going to say something and hope that you have the mental capacity to actually understand it.” Annabeth stepped back. “Fuck. Off.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>Annabeth turned around and continued off to anywhere else on the ship that was away from him. She knew Percy was standing behind her and watching her walk away, and she couldn’t bring herself to care.</em>
</p>
<p>Annabeth thought back to that day. Percy had listened to her words and hadn’t so much as looked at her unless it was directly related to the mission. She couldn’t bring herself to speak to him either; the feelings she’d felt for him were terrifying, and she didn’t need them. She was fine on her own, and her and Percy had hated each other for long enough that this wasn’t any different. What had happened was a mistake and Annabeth would be damned if she let herself slip and make the same mistake twice.</p>
<p>Somewhere in the back of the mind, she knows her heart aches. She knows the truth was that she just couldn’t handle the things going through her mind. When everything went to shit, she couldn’t pretend that everything was fine in the world. All of them could die in a second, and she couldn’t stand to have lose someone she’d grown to love. A part of her knows Percy was right and she had no reason to do the things she did, or say the things she said, but it doesn’t matter to her anymore. He was gone, and Annabeth couldn’t lose him if she refused to love him. That’s what she tells herself, anyways.</p>
<p>“Now or never,” Will said. “Let’s go.”</p>
<p>The group loaded up on supplies, each of them carrying a backpack with the essentials. They’d be coming back to the ship in a few hours, but it was probably still safer to have some water and snacks, and a method of protection.</p>
<p>Annabeth carried a sharp silver knife with a handle that was practically made for her hand to hold. She carried a bottle of water and a few bags of random snacks she’d shoved into plastic bags. She was just anxious to get out and figure out what they were up against.</p>
<p>Once everyone had their things together, they stood in a line by the entrance to the ship. The second they opened the door, there would be no going back. It was a startling realization.</p>
<p>“Are we ready?” Leo asked, handling a remote that would drop the wall down in front of them to act as a ramp to the ground.</p>
<p>“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Annabeth muttered, looking around at everyone except Percy, whose eyes she purposefully avoided.</p>
<p>The answer good enough for Leo, he pressed a button, and the wall fell with a hiss, opening for the first time in millions of years.</p>
<p>Annabeth held her breath, and the air of the planet hit her smack in the face. It was sticky and humid, and her flyaways stuck uncomfortably to her face. She took a hesitant breath, relieved to find that the air didn’t immediately burn her lungs.</p>
<p>Everyone else took a few steps forwards, into the sunlight. There were two shadows around each person, one from each of the suns. Annabeth continued strolling closer to the grass, looking around her and analyzing the environment.</p>
<p>It seemed similar to their home planet. It was pretty muggy, and warm enough to stir a shimmer of sweat onto everyone’s skin, but it wasn’t all that different.</p>
<p>“Everyone should stay in groups,” Frank said. “I’m going to figure out the composition of the atmosphere, and dirt. Maybe see if I can get some water too.”</p>
<p>“Piper and I will go with you,” Jason said, pulling Piper protectively into his side.</p>
<p>Piper winked at Annabeth, who knew that she was over the moon about being with Jason. Piper and Jason weren’t dating, but they might as well have been.</p>
<p>“I’ll go with Leo and Will,” Reyna volunteered.</p>
<p>“Great!” Piper chirped. “Percy and Annabeth can go together!”</p>
<p>Annabeth dropped her hand to her side and glared at Piper, which didn’t go unnoticed to Percy. Piper just smiled mischievously. Piper had been adamant that Annabeth was in love with Percy and just too stubborn to admit it, which meant Annabeth had received no less than a thousand shoves to go confess her love to Percy. No matter how many times Annabeth denied being in love with Percy, Piper would not hear it. She made it her personal duty to put Percy and Annabeth together at all times, which got annoying in times like these.</p>
<p>“I’ll go by myself,” Annabeth argued. “I don’t mind.”</p>
<p>“We’re on a foreign planet. You’re not going anywhere by yourself,” Jason corrected. “Stay together everyone. We have the radios, right?”</p>
<p>Everyone held up their individual radios to check that they had them and that they worked.</p>
<p>“Let’s split up then. Meet back here in three hours.”</p>
<p>With that, the group of eight dispersed, and Annabeth’s skin was already prickling about having to be in close proximity to Percy. She started in the direction of the trees, leaving Percy to stumble after her wordlessly.</p>
<p>She was perfectly content with silence, but it turned out that he was not.</p>
<p>“What do you think we’ll find?”</p>
<p>Annabeth continued on with silence.</p>
<p>“Aliens? Creepy bugs?”</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>“What if we found clones?”</p>
<p>“Are you going to do this the whole time?”</p>
<p>“I’m terrified and talking helps, even if it’s to myself, so yes.”</p>
<p>Annabeth bit her lip, watching the space between the trees carefully.</p>
<p>“I’m more than happy to try and talk to you again, if you’d like.”</p>
<p>“I would not like.”</p>
<p>“Then I’ll do all the talking.” Percy sprinted to be by her side. “You kind of really hurt my feelings a while ago. That being said, I also think you weren’t being entirely truthful, which would mean you hurt my feelings for no good reason.”</p>
<p>“I was being truthful.”</p>
<p>“Piper told me otherwise.”</p>
<p>“Piper’s a dumbass.”</p>
<p>“Do you have trust issues? Or abandonment issues?”</p>
<p>Annabeth froze, appalled that he’d even asked that. “What did you just ask me?”</p>
<p>“Did you push away one of the people who actually cared for you because you have abandonment issues?”</p>
<p>Annabeth turned around and sneered at him. “You have no right to ask that. I told you what I meant already. Don’t make me tell you again.”</p>
<p>“For someone so smart, you are really stupid, Annabeth.”</p>
<p>Her mouth dropped open, but instead of telling him off again, she just turned around and walked away from him.</p>
<p>“Where are you going?”</p>
<p>“Away. Don’t follow me.”</p>
<p>“Hilarious. Stop walking.”</p>
<p>Annabeth sped up instead.</p>
<p>“I was just asking you a question! I wasn’t trying to be rude.” He sprinted to keep up with her.</p>
<p>She scoffed, shaking her head. Did he really think that he had the right to say things like that? It was the snide comments like that one that made her despise him even more. A month of exchanging such hard comments, and no wonder their brief friendship came to an end.</p>
<p>“You can’t just wander off on a foreign planet by yourself. You could get lost.”</p>
<p>“Watch me.”</p>
<p>“Stop acting like a child.”</p>
<p>With that, Annabeth pointedly took a turn behind a tree and started sprinting away from him the second she left his sight, successfully losing him somewhere within the trees. She could hear him calling after her in frustration and she almost smiled maliciously. <em>Take that.</em></p>
<p>She figured she’d be fine by herself; she knew where she was going and there weren’t any immediate threats to her safety. Eventually, his voice disappeared somewhere in the distance, and she was finally alone with her thoughts.</p>
<p>Her mind wandered back to what Percy had said. She didn’t have abandonment issues, or at least she didn’t think she did. No one had ever left her, except maybe her parents, but even they’d shown up in the end. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Percy, or that she was scared he would leave her. It wasn’t anything even remotely close to that.</p>
<p>She just didn’t want to form something that could so easily be broken. In the midst of this crisis, it wasn’t worth piling on another stressful situation, which is a major reason she wouldn’t let herself be happy with Percy. They’d never even been friends before all of this, so it wouldn’t be a big change at all to go back to the way things were. A part of her liked him, yeah, but even she knew it wasn’t love. Maybe it could’ve built into love, but it wasn’t there yet, and she wouldn’t risk letting it get there.</p>
<p>She remembered the night they found out about the trip, and Percy had been the one to comfort her. He was so sweet, comforting her and helping her make the decision that was best for her, and only her. Percy was also the one to stand by her side when she got nervous, and he held her hand when she was scared to go up into space to try and calm her down. Even when she was terrified to fall asleep, Percy swallowed his own fears to comfort her. He was really so sweet to her, but it definitely wasn’t love she felt.</p>
<p>
  <em>Okay, so maybe it was love.</em>
</p>
<p>Sue her.</p>
<p>She still couldn’t tell him. He was far too good for her, and always willing to let her come back. After she literally told him to never talk to her again, he still forgave her and tried to fix them. They could so easily break, and he was too good, and she wasn’t worth it. <em>She wasn’t worth it.</em></p>
<p>Annabeth sat down, the humidity of the air beginning to take a serious toll on her. She found a decently sized rock sitting among the trees and she rested against it, reaching into her black backpack to grab her water bottle. She unscrewed the cap and took a few sips, trying to save as much water as she could.</p>
<p>She set the bottle back down and leaned her head back against the stone, closing her eyes. Her face was beading with sweat, and she was starting to feel incredibly weak. Her heart began palpitating and she blew breath out to try and calm herself down.</p>
<p>“The hell…?” Annabeth whispered to herself, glancing around her in panic.</p>
<p>Everything around her seemed to distort. The colors began to shift and intensify, and everywhere she looked magnified in her vision. She began to hear a loud ringing that only got louder by the second, and then a sickly-sweet scent filled her nose. It made her feel sick to the stomach.</p>
<p>Her stomach churned as the smell got stronger, and she tried to stand up, or call out, but she found herself paralyzed with fear. She sat unable to move for minutes, trying to find a way to scream, or run. She eventually managed to stand, but she nearly fell over two seconds later.</p>
<p>She grabbed her bag and stumbled a few feet forwards in the direction she last saw Percy before falling to the hard ground again. Her bag landed a few feet away, and she reached out to grab it, but she couldn’t reach. Her vision distorted again, and the smell around her got so strong she nearly passed.</p>
<p>When she grasped back onto reality for a second, she tried to scream for Percy, but she wasn’t sure if anything actually came out. She could feel her vocal cords vibrate as she screamed, but her ears couldn’t hear anything except the piercing ringing. She shut her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her face and dripping onto the ground. Her throat was scratchy, and she felt something bubbling up from the bottom of it. She started coughing and a spurt of blood came up from her throat and splattered onto the ground. She struggled to stay attached to reality as she kept on coughing up blood, a string of blood hanging from her lower lip.</p>
<p>Annabeth reached up to wipe her face, smearing the blood. Her head was spinning, and something told her she’d be passed out in less than a minute. Her brain was fuzzy, but she remembered the radio she had in her bag and reached for it again in a last-ditch effort.</p>
<p>She forced herself onto her knees to crawl towards her bag, coughing up more blood over herself. She grabbed her radio with shaky hands and pressed the button to sound through to the rest of the crew.</p>
<p><em>“H-Help,”</em> she sputtered through a mouthful of blood before her body gave up on her and she fell to the hard ground, lifeless.</p>
<p>She heard someone respond over the radio; more than one voice, all of them panicked and trying to figure out what was going on, asking her questions and trying to identify her location. The chattering voices over the radio continued, but Annabeth’s mind blurred them out, blood loss taking over, and everything went black.</p>
<p>Annabeth was shaken awake aggressively, and she was met with Percy kneeling over her, fear etched into his face. The ringing in her ears lessened and she could hear his frantic voice.</p>
<p>“–<em>happened?</em>” Percy shook her again as her eyes began closing again. “Stay with me, Annabeth. What happened?”</p>
<p>When Annabeth tried to answer, she ended up coughing up more spurts of blood, which dripped from her lips. Percy dragged Annabeth onto his lap, cradling her head as she just kept on coughing up more and more blood.</p>
<p><em>“Percy, what’s going on?”</em> Jason called over the radio.</p>
<p>Percy grabbed his radio and pressed the call button, sliding it to keep it on. “She’s coughing up a lot of blood.”</p>
<p><em>“You need to put her onto her side so she doesn’t choke,”</em> Will told him.</p>
<p>Percy turned Annabeth’s head to the side. Her eyes fluttered closed, and everything in her body stung and burned, and hurt so <em>so</em> bad, and she just wanted it to be over.</p>
<p><em>“Is she conscious?”</em> Will asked.</p>
<p>“Barely.” Percy caressed her cheek. “Stay with me, Annabeth.”</p>
<p>Annabeth fought to stay conscious, but she had lost so much blood that she could feel herself beginning to slip away. Black was lining the edges of her vision again, and she was scared that she wouldn’t wake back up. She was in excruciating pain, and she needed it to be over, but she couldn’t leave Percy thinking–</p>
<p>It hit her.</p>
<p>She <em>needed</em> to tell Percy she loved him if she was going to die. He couldn’t think she hated him if he would be holding her as she took her final breath– Annabeth was terrified, and she knew these minutes might be her last, and she didn’t want to tell him she loved him now, but it might be her last chance to ever do it.</p>
<p><em>“–ove you,”</em> she managed, coughing up more blood that spilled onto her shirt. She struggled for a breath, inhaling but not getting any oxygen.</p>
<p><em>“What?”</em> Percy asked frantically. “What did you say?”</p>
<p>Annabeth coughed again, going completely limp against Percy. Her whole body shook as she tried to speak again. “I– love you,” she said, stuttering.</p>
<p>“You love me?” Percy asked, rubbing her cheek soothingly.</p>
<p>She nodded sluggishly, leaning into his warm hand.</p>
<p>“Don’t say that,” he said. “You don’t need to say that right now.”</p>
<p>“You– you needed to– to know,” she said through hiccups of air.</p>
<p>“No, I don’t. I don’t need to know that right now. You can tell me that later.”</p>
<p>She shook her head, tears dripping down the contours of her face. “Needed you to– to know,” she gasped in pain.</p>
<p>“Stop it.” Percy squeezed her shoulder. “I don’t want to know. Not like this.”</p>
<p>“Say–” she gulped for air. “Say you love me.”</p>
<p>“Stop it,” Percy demanded, teary eyed. “No.”</p>
<p><em>“Please.”</em> She coughed again. “I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“Don’t apologize,” Percy told her. “Don’t you <em>dare</em> apologize.”</p>
<p>Annabeth’s lip quivered as she felt her body go cold, and she tried to gasp for air, but none worked its way into her lungs. “I love you.”</p>
<p>“Annabeth, <em>please–</em>”</p>
<p>A chill ran through her body and something told her that this was the end. Her body shook uncontrollably, and everything was distorting itself again, her mind no longer grounded to reality.</p>
<p>Percy tried to shake her awake again, to no avail. “Please wake up,” he cried. “Don’t do this.”</p>
<p>A smile graced her lips, and she coughed one more time. <em>At least he knew</em>. The edges of her vision faded again, and she was quivering from the cold. Percy’s arms fretted over her, but she couldn’t feel them anymore. She couldn’t feel <em>anything</em> anymore. The black worked its way inwards, for what she knew would be the last time, and then—</p>
<p>Nothing.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Annabeth woke up momentarily in an infirmary bed, and her entire body screamed out in pain. She couldn’t move, and there was a plastic tube running down her throat and making her gag reflex act up. A monitor hooked up on the pristine white walls started beeping like crazy, and footsteps were heard running down the hall.</p>
<p>Will rushed in, met with the sight of Annabeth’s face contorted in pain with tears lining her eyes and her tugging at the tube. He rushed to her side and grabbed a needle at a table beside her.</p>
<p><em>“You’re okay,”</em> he assured. It all sounded very distorted in her ears.</p>
<p>He lifted the iv line in her arm and injected the syringe into the opening. The liquid burned for a moment, and then her vision blurred again. Within a few seconds, she fell back to the bed and the world dissolved right in front of her eyes.</p>
<hr/>
<p>When she blinked open her eyes again, everything was muted. Her body was more sore than in pain, and the tube was no longer wormed down her throat. She shifted her head to the side, exhausted, and she caught sight of Percy sitting in a chair besides her, knocked out cold with his arms crossed to bring himself warmth.</p>
<p>She took in the way he looked in his sleep, so peaceful. His chest rose and fell in steady breaths, and his black eyelashes were contrasting against his skin. Annabeth’s fogged mind thought that he never looked better.</p>
<p>Percy stirred under her gaze and his eyes were a vibrant green under the fluorescent lights as he opened his eyelids with tired blinks. When he realized she was awake, he shot upright and went to kneel by her side.</p>
<p>“Hey,” he said softly, caressing her cheek. His eyes were already watering as he looked at her pale skin and bloodshot eyes. “How are you?”</p>
<p>Annabeth leaned into his warm hand, eyes fluttering closed. She was still so tired.</p>
<p>“You gave me quite the scare,” he choked out, brushing her blonde curls out of her face.</p>
<p>Annabeth groaned, her bones aching. “Did I?” she strained. Her voice was scratchy and dry.</p>
<p>He smiled sadly, and a tear slipped out of the corner of his eye. “You did.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” she just barely whispered.</p>
<p>“You don’t need to apologize.” His finger traced her cheekbone. “You just need to be okay.”</p>
<p>Annabeth stayed silent for a few minutes, reflecting on the last things she remembered before the vast darkness.</p>
<p>“I said I loved you.”</p>
<p>Percy choked out a laugh. “You did.”</p>
<p>“I meant it,” she breathed, eyes closed and unable to meet his.</p>
<p>“I didn’t want that to be the first and last time I heard you say it.”</p>
<p>“I thought it would be. I didn’t want it to be.”</p>
<p>“Why don’t you say it again?” he offered, hopeful.</p>
<p>She opened her eyes to meet his again. “I love you.”</p>
<p>Percy smirked his lopsided grin and leaned closer. She could feel his breath hitting her lips with each exhale. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that.”</p>
<p>He leaned forwards and closed the gap between them. He pressed his lips to hers, and hers were chapped feverishly warm, and tears were streaming down both of their faces and mixing together, but it didn’t matter to them. Everything was moved so fast, but that was the price of living a fast life. She’d almost just died without telling him how she really felt, which would no doubt be the biggest regret in her entire life. The only thing that mattered were that they were here, and they were okay. Everything was perfect in such an imperfect way, and she didn’t mind. This was them.</p>
<p>“I love you too,” he whispered against her lips.</p>
<p>Annabeth lifted her arm to touch his face, and she could feel the stubble rough against her hand. She found herself wanting to draw him back for another kiss, so she did.</p>
<p>“You’re not allowed to leave me again,” he told her, pressing his forehead to hers. “You said you love me.”</p>
<p>“I won’t.” She looked him sincerely in the eyes. “I promise.”</p>
<p>Percy climbed his way onto the infirmary bed to lay beside her. She rested her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arm around her thin waist to pull her snug into his side. He was warm, and kind, and he loved her, and he was perfect.</p>
<p>In the midst of all the chaos and near-death experiences, he loved her, and she loved him, and she had a feeling that maybe everything would turn out okay in the end.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Annabeth got out of bed a few days after she woke up, no signs pointing to the cause of the whole ordeal. Will couldn’t find anything seriously wrong, or any specific cause of the bleeding. It was like it had never happened, which was fine by her.</p>
<p>She spent a few days staying as far away from the outside as possible, but even she knew she’d have to go back at some point. Within the week after her medical scene, things had changed drastically. There was a new member added to the original group of the eight, Hazel Levesque, to help analyze some of the jewels found along the surface of the planet. There had also been a huge scientific breakthrough, thanks to Annabeth nearly dying, that she was being informed of as of right now as she sat with Percy and Piper in the observatory deck.</p>
<p>“I was looking at the blood I drew,” Will said, looking at her blood component levels. “And I noticed something very off that could account for what happened.”</p>
<p>Annabeth, who was cuddled against Percy’s side, looked at him skeptically. “Am I dying?”</p>
<p>“Uh–”</p>
<p>Annabeth gave him a scathing look.</p>
<p>“Not <em>dying,</em> no.”</p>
<p>“You’re going to give me an aneurysm, Will.” She blinked. “What is it?”</p>
<p>“You’re mutating?”</p>
<p>Piper nearly spit out the water she was drinking. “She’s what?”</p>
<p>“The hemoglobin in your blood in nearly triple the normal amount of a normal human. Normal would be about fifteen grams per deciliter, but you’re at forty-seven grams per deciliter…”</p>
<p>Annabeth snorted. “You’re kidding.”</p>
<p>“I wish I was. I’m willing to take a safe bet that it’s the reason for the whole passing out in the middle of a new planet thing.”</p>
<p>Percy cleared his throat. “Is that not dangerous? It sounds dangerous.”</p>
<p>“I’m not sure?”</p>
<p>Annabeth glared at him again. “You’re supposed to be a doctor.”</p>
<p>“I’m not on Earth! I don’t know the laws of physics and shit on this planet!”</p>
<p>“I’m an alien,” Annabeth said to no one in particular. “How does it feel to date an alien, Percy?”</p>
<p>“It’s kind of sexy.”</p>
<p>“Pig.”</p>
<p>“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” Will crumpled the paper in his hands. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s not dangerous because you’re doing just fine. Based on the thinner atmosphere Percy said we have, it’s safe to assume that there’s less oxygen on this planet. Your body probably produced more hemoglobin to carry more oxygen around your blood because of the low levels of oxygen to begin with, and your body was just in shock and looking for a way to let everything out.”</p>
<p>“That’s it?” Annabeth said sarcastically.</p>
<p>“I have no idea how your body adapted so fast, but it did.”</p>
<p>“Are we sure that’s what it is?”</p>
<p>“I ran everyone else’s blood and it seemed to be doing the same thing; they just didn’t have the same bodily reaction.”</p>
<p>“Cool. Cool cool cool cool cool.” Annabeth held up a finger. “So just to recap, I am an alien with abnormal hemoglobin levels, so my body decided to start coughing up blood, distorting my vision and hearing, make everything hurt, make everything smell bad, and put me in a temporary comatose state.”</p>
<p>“Yep,” Will said chirpily. “Though, to be fair, the coma was our doing to keep you out of pain.”</p>
<p>“Coolio.” Annabeth sounded pained.</p>
<p>“You’ll be fine,” he dismissed.</p>
<p>She made a screeching sound.</p>
<p>Percy rested his chin on top of Annabeth’s head. “My little velociraptor.”</p>
<p>Annabeth preened.</p>
<p>She leaned her head back to look at him, and she pouted her lips for a kiss, but just as he conceded, Leo came to a halt in the room, out of breath.</p>
<p>“You guys need to see this,” he wheezed. “It’s not good.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>The group of eight, plus Hazel, circled around the hologram in the control room, awaiting what Leo had to tell them. Annabeth had no idea what it was, because it hadn’t seemed like an immediate threat, but it didn’t seem to calm Leo down.</p>
<p>“Remember how we sent a message to Earth?”</p>
<p>“Once we woke up?” Reyna asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah. We just got a response.”</p>
<p>“You’re kidding,” Percy said. “How did the signal travel so fast?”</p>
<p>“Better technology I guess,” Leo whimpered. “The message is… alarming.”</p>
<p>“Play it,” Annabeth demanded, watching the hologram. “Stop skirting around it and just play it.”</p>
<p>Leo hesitated but lifted his hand to press on his screen and replay the message to the rest of the group.</p>
<p>A man they didn’t recognize appeared in front of a camera in dim lighting, and he looked dirty. His face was crusted in dirt and he looked like he was squatting in a confined space, hiding from someone. He had dirty overalls on and was of a rather large build. The room was made of metal and had patches of fungus growing along the walls, and the room itself gave off a creepy vide.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Mission Centaurus A, this is NASA Administrator Hephaestus Olympia. I am a descendant of Zeus Olympus, the NASA Administrator when you left Earth almost three million years ago. I just received the signal you’ve sent notifying us of the malfunctions among the Argo II.”</em>
</p>
<p>The man licked his lips and looked around, paranoid. <em>“I’m afraid there is not anything NASA will be able to do in assistance. The group is too far to send supplies to fix the spacecraft. I wish I had better news, but I do not. A few decades ago, nations near the Baltic Ocean were pulled into territorial disputes. Nations around the world picked sides, and the dispute grew until it became a– a world war.”</em></p>
<p>
  <em>“World War III has begun as of August 20<sup>th</sup>. The United States was one of the first countries to go, and there is no one left to work for NASA. NASA is outdated and I find it doubtful that it will ever return at all. I’d need assistance getting the materials for a repair to you, and no one is willing to do that. Regardless, I cannot spare enough materials to send help to Mission Centaurus A. I apologize deeply for this, but even if I could spare the materials, I would not make it off this Earth alive to give it to you.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“With the advancements in technology, World War III became a nuclear war. The surface of the world is littered with radiation from the atomic bombs set off around the world. There is no longer a safety on this Earth. Everyone is at risk, and everyone is at a raging war. Do everything you can to survive, and no matter what you do, do not return to Earth. The population has been reduced to no more than one billion people, most of whom are hiding. There is nothing left to be done, for the human race has destroyed all there was left to live for.”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“If you are in Messier-33 as you have mentioned, look for somewhere to land. There are programs on board the ship to help the team find the most habitable program– use them. Starting life on a planet in Triangulum is the same as in Centaurus A, so long as a place is found to live. Perhaps one day, assistance will be available to help complete the mission, but I would not count on it. As of right now, the one hundred of you are truly and irrevocably on your own.”</em>
</p>
<p><em>“I apologize, and wish I bared more pleasing news. Use the resources you have to survive until the other—”</em>Static cut his words off and reappeared a moment later. <em>“They may be able to offer help if they experience the same—“</em></p>
<p>He looked behind him and a loud boom could be heard<em>. “I must be going. The radiation is interfering with the signals. I do hope you figure everything out. If one day things settle down, I will do my best to assist you. Until then, focus on getting somewhere safe and starting over. The group of scientists sent on the mission was handpicked– starting in Centaurus A and Triangulum will not make a difference. You can do it. I hope I can speak to you again but be prepared for the worst. Until then, there’s only one thing for you to do.”</em></p>
<p>
  <em>“Stay alive.”</em>
</p>
<p>The hologram shut off on its own, leaving the room to a ringing silence. No one knew what to say, or where to start.</p>
<p>“World War III…” Annabeth broke off. They’d left with the promise of getting to Centaurus A, and now they were being told to go screw themselves because of some territorial dispute turning into a raging nuclear war. If Zeus was still alive, she’d come at him with a giant flaming pitchfork.</p>
<p>“They can’t help us because they started a fucking World War III, like they didn’t learn the first two times,” Percy said through gritted teeth.</p>
<p>“We’re on our own.” Leo licked his lips. “It’s all on us now.”</p>
<p>“How are we meant to survive forever?” Annabeth laughed deliriously. “There’s no way we can do this forever!”</p>
<p>“The same way we planned to survive before we left. It’s just in a different spot than expected,” Piper consoled, though she couldn’t even fool herself.</p>
<p>“We were always going to bring more people,” Annabeth countered. “The plan was never to survive for all of eternity by ourselves.”</p>
<p>“We don’t have a choice.” Jason rubbed his forehead. “We have no other options. I mean, we can try to stay here until we fix the ship and try to find fuel, but we don’t know if we’ll be able to.”</p>
<p>Reyna furrowed her brows. “He said to stay here. He never mentioned leaving again.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but–”</p>
<p>“He said they might be able to help.”</p>
<p>“Not the people on Earth,” Jason told her, confused.</p>
<p>“Not the people on Earth, but… when the static took over, what was he saying?”</p>
<p>“Uh.” Percy tried to recall. “He said something about surviving until the other… <em>something.</em>”</p>
<p>“It sounded like there are people moving after us,” Reyna said. “He said they might be able to offer help that people on Earth can’t.”</p>
<p>Will’s eyes went wide. “A group had to have gone soon after us. He mentioned they might be experiencing the same thing as us, which could mean that they’ll have to land too.”</p>
<p>Piper laughed incredulously. “We’re really grasping at straws here. He also said not to count on getting any help, and to survive on our own. Even if people were sent after us, it’s not likely that they’d be sent within the same lifetime, or malfunction in the same spot.”</p>
<p>“Piper’s right.” Annabeth picked at her fingers nervously. “We’re on our own here. It’s up to us to decide what to do.”</p>
<p>Everyone fell silent, mourning for the life they could’ve had if they’d never decided to join the stupid mission. Annabeth was definitely kicking her past self right about now. World War III? It really would be her luck, being stuck outside of the galaxy and in need of help while there was a nuclear war raging at home.</p>
<p>“We need to keep exploring. Set up some sort of base camp,” Hazel said quietly.</p>
<p>“We’ll never be able to do it by ourselves.” Leo sighed.</p>
<p>Annabeth thought for a moment. “We need to wake everyone up.”</p>
<p>All eyes fell to her.</p>
<p>“I mean, if we’re really stuck here and we need to survive, we won’t be able to do it ourselves. It’s time to wake them up.”</p>
<p>Frank nodded. “We have a camp to build, it seems.”</p>
<p>Annabeth looked around, meeting gazes with each person. Everyone nodded at her in agreement.</p>
<p>“Let’s get to work then.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Six Months Later</strong>
</p>
<p>Annabeth stood outside under the heavy suns, the humid atmosphere already making her want to jump into an icy shower. She was staring at a blueprint she’d drawn up, looking back and forth at the workers to make sure they were following orders.</p>
<p>The rest of the group had been woken up months ago and were particularly freaked about the sudden change in plans. To their credit, they did actually take it much better than expected and were eager to get to work.</p>
<p>She was currently watching a skinny blonde kid attempt to carry an electric pole across the field they’d chosen to create a camp at and nearly knock out Lou Ellen.</p>
<p>“Octavian, you’re not even in the right spot!” she yelled across the field. “You’re supposed to be setting that up by the lake, unless you want to get eaten by those giant swarms!”</p>
<p>Octavian rolled his eyes, appalled that he wasn’t the one bossing people around. Annabeth didn’t really care though, because they were setting up the electric dome to stop the giant swarms of bugs from coming through the camp again. The last time was a complete disaster and ended with Leo screaming his head off as he ran towards the ship like a maniac, nearly pissing himself in the process.</p>
<p>Annabeth watched Piper jump onto Jason’s back from across the field, tackling him to the ground. She smiled at the two goofballs fondly, glad that they’d found someone that makes them happy. It was important to have someone there for you in times like these, and well… Annabeth had her source of happiness.</p>
<p>She looked up to the sky to appreciate the binary stars casting a warm glow over the field. It was an adjustment from Earth, but it was still so gorgeous and otherworldly. Of course, they couldn’t stay forever since the stars would eventually combine, but they could for their lifetime, and that was enough for her.</p>
<p>Annabeth nearly jumped out of her skin when someone’s arms slid around her waist to hold her tight from behind.</p>
<p>“Hey,” Percy whispered in her ear. He pressed a kiss into the base of her neck and then continued to trail up towards the spot right behind her ear.</p>
<p>Annabeth squirmed playfully, pushing him off of her. “I’m all sweaty,” she complained as he went back to plant another kiss on her neck.</p>
<p>“All of us are sweaty in this humidity,” he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek this time.</p>
<p>“I know. I can smell you.”</p>
<p>“Rude.” He nudged behind her ear with his nose. “How’re you feeling?”</p>
<p>Annabeth laughed fondly and turned around in his arms, pressing herself into him as much as she could. She lifted her arms and placed them around his neck, looking up to lock eyes with him as he towered over her.</p>
<p>“I’d feel a lot better if I could help,” she said, arching an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Uh-uh,” he protested, kissing her forehead sweetly. “No heavy lifting.”</p>
<p>“Come on,” she groaned, turning back around in his arms to oversee the construction. “I’m fine.”</p>
<p>Percy slid his arms back around her waist and settled them over her swollen stomach. “Let’s just focus on you for now.”</p>
<p>“Mhm.”</p>
<p>“Seriously, though,” Percy said, moving his thumb over her stomach soothingly. “How are you?”</p>
<p>“<em>We</em>,” Annabeth replied, resting her hands over his, “are doing just fine. Missing daddy when he’s at work all day, though.”</p>
<p>“Mm. I’m all yours tonight.” He pressed his cheek into the top of her head. “I heard people talking about the name of the camp you chose.”</p>
<p>“What did you think?”</p>
<p>“I think it’s fitting,” he joked. “All of us having half of our blood being hemoglobin, and all.”</p>
<p>She rested her head against his chest. “I’m proud of it.”</p>
<p>“As you should be.” Percy followed her gaze to watch someone drop another pole. “Why don’t you go inside with me for a little bit and rest? You’ve been on your feet for hours.”</p>
<p>“<em>Nooo</em>. I like watching them work. Besides, you’ve practically benched me from lifting anything heavier than two pounds, so it’s all I can do anymore.”</p>
<p>“You can watch from inside the ship,” he reassured. “Come on.”</p>
<p>“Five more minutes,” Annabeth said. “I’m just imagining how it’ll look in a few months.”</p>
<p>Percy hummed. “In a few months, life will be so different.”</p>
<p>“The camp will be finished, and we’ll be able to start farming and building more.”</p>
<p>Percy nodded, and the two fell into silence. Together they watched everyone run around to finish the electric barrier, smiling as people joked and played around. Life was so different already, and things would be changing significantly in just a few months, especially for Percy and Annabeth, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.</p>
<p>She can’t believe she made it this far. At one point in time, she was just another person working in Mission Control without any further aspirations in life. It had all changed in a split second, and her life spiraled out of control. She didn’t know what her future promised her, or if they’d ever make it beyond the planet, but that was okay. She had Percy by her side, and a group of promising friends, and she just knew everything would be okay.</p>
<p>Percy brought her back to the present, rubbing her sides up and down. “Ready to head inside?”</p>
<p>Annabeth nodded slowly, taking one last glance at everything they’d done and everything that would be. “I’m ready.”</p>
<p>Percy took her hand and laced their fingers together, whispering a sweet “I love you,” which she returned to him. He led her back towards the entrance to the ship, and she let him guide her around the mess of stones and machinery spewed along the verdant ground.</p>
<p>On their way to the entrance, she caught sight of a giant wooden sign resting against the side of the ship, and a smile graced her lips at the words written on it in bright orange paint.</p>
<p>
  <em>Welcome to Camp Half-Blood.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Annabeth turned over in the bed, kicking the cotton covers away from her. Her entire body felt too warm, and Percy’s body pressed up against her boy definitely wasn’t doing her any favors. Being pregnant was just annoying like that, making her feel extremely hot and restless even though she <em>knew</em> the room she was in was blasting with cool air.</p><p>She shuffled around some more, trying to get somewhat comfortable enough to fall asleep because it was already four in the morning, but it was no use. Her senses were alive and really ticking her off as her brain narrowed in on Percy’s arm tucked snugly around her waist and the gentle sound of his breathing. His fingers were resting against the spot where her shirt had ridden up, and it was vaguely tickling her.</p><p>Also, she was already six months pregnant with a very active baby kicking her in the bladder what felt like every few seconds, which, in her opinion, wasn’t very fun.</p><p>Eventually she just gave up, turning over to face Percy and rest her head on his chest, her enlarged stomach pushing into his personal space. She might as well use the time to figure out what was going to happen now that they were finally getting things under control on the foreign planet.</p><p>The past few months had been… <em>interesting</em>, to say the least. They were constantly discovering new things about the planet, and Will was making quite a few medical discoveries. Everyone was working so hard to make this their new home, because they didn’t know if they’d ever get off of the planet, and it was nice to see the group working together, united as one.</p><p>There was just one <em>teeny</em> little problem.</p><p>Annabeth wasn’t allowed to do <em>anything</em>. Ever since she first found out that she was pregnant, Percy had been overbearingly protective, and it was sweet because he cared, but come on. She was supposed to be a leader and now she’s stuck overseeing the buildings and activities because her boyfriend was scared that she’d break if she even so much as <em>thought</em> about helping out.</p><p>She had to be a little easy on him, though. It was the first baby to be born on a foreign planet in the entire existence of humanity, so she supposed it made sense to keep a close eye on her to make sure everything was going smoothly. It didn’t make it any less aggravating, though.</p><p>What was even worse than Percy’s self-imposed bubble around her was the fact that he kept going out on the frequent exploratory missions. No one had any clue as to what lay on this planet, and he was always the first person volunteering to check things out, leaving her worrying about him for days on end.</p><p>Percy’s arm shifted around her, his hand opening up to rest his palm on her bump. He pressed a sleepy kiss to the back of her ear and then snuggled his face into the crook of her neck to continue sleeping.</p><p>Annabeth stilled for a second, hoping she didn’t accidentally wake him. He’d barely been sleeping recently either, always wanting to keep an eye on her, so when he didn’t stir again, she breathed out a sigh of relief.</p><p>Her mind drifted back to the missions that had been going on. There wasn’t really too much that they had discovered– they had done pretty well picking this planet to land on. The only thing really was that there were lots of bugs beyond the electric dome and they loved to swarm up. She also believed that someone mentioned finding a random wild animal that looked similar to a giant deer with huge horns, but she could’ve dreamt that up.</p><p>Annabeth pressed the palm of her hand to her eye, rubbing it tiredly. Life was just stressful, but easy at the same time, if that made any sense. She was happy with Percy and a baby on the way, despite the baby being a big surprise to the both of them, and the rest of the crew. Things were going so well, but then when Percy left her for days at a time, she would just feel so panicked. Knowing that in just a few months, she would be the first person to have a baby on the planet didn’t do anything to ease her worries, and–</p><p>“What’re you thinking?” Percy spoke lowly, his voice raspy with sleep.</p><p>Annabeth hadn’t been expecting him to speak so her heart did a little leap as she looked up to find his eyes open and staring at her. She pressed her head back down to his chest. “A lot,” she confessed softly.</p><p>“Talk to me,” he said, moving around to nudge her nose with his. “What’s going on?”</p><p>“Can’t sleep.”</p><p>Percy smirked, and she flicked his nose in the dark. “I can see that. I mean <em>why</em> can’t you sleep.”</p><p>She hummed, pulling the blanket she’d kicked off back up her body. She was suddenly cold again. “There’s just a lot going on.”</p><p>“Such as?”</p><p>“We’re having a baby in a few months, for starters.”</p><p>At her words, Percy’s thumb started caressing her bump, and she smiled into his skin.</p><p>“We are having a baby,” he repeated. “Are you just discovering this?”</p><p>“Smartass,” she murmured. “I’m scared.”</p><p>Percy turned serious. “Of what?”</p><p>“Everything. Having a baby on a planet with different pressures and gravity than Earth? Becoming a parent? And…” She cut off, thinking.</p><p>“<em>And?</em>” he prompted.</p><p>“You keep going on these missions.”</p><p>He groaned, moving her away from him now. “I can’t keep doing this, Annabeth.”</p><p>“<em>What?</em>”</p><p>“<em>Fighting</em> with you about this. We need to explore the planet to make sure we’re safe. We’ve barely even scratched the surface.”</p><p>Annabeth’s face morphed into a scowl. “You can be a part of that from here.”</p><p>“I can’t. You know that.”</p><p>“Oh, so it’s okay for you to go out and put yourself in danger, but it’s not okay for me to?”</p><p><em>“Don’t</em>,” he warned. “That’s different and you know it.”</p><p>“How so?”</p><p>“For one, you said it yourself. It’s dangerous, and you’re carrying a baby. You can’t risk hurting yourself anymore.”</p><p>“What else?”</p><p>“There doesn’t need to be anything else!” Percy sat up in the bed. “You’re six months pregnant and that should be enough reason for you.”</p><p>Annabeth began tearing up at his outburst. When she spoke, her voice was shaky. “When you’re gone for days, I don’t know where you are or if you’re okay, and I get <em>scared–</em>” Her voice cracked off at the end.</p><p>Percy softened at her words, pulling her up and into his lap to rub her back soothingly. “I’m not going to get hurt, Beth. You have no reason to worry.”</p><p>“I still do,” she said. “You’d do the same thing.”</p><p>Percy just kept rubbing her back, unsure of what to say.</p><p>“<em>And</em>,” she continued, her voice still wobbling. “What if something happens to me and you’re not here? What if I go into labor and you have no way of knowing?”</p><p>“We have the radios,” he assured.</p><p>“We don’t ever turn those on anymore, so you wouldn’t find out anyways until you got back. Even if you did, you’d be too far away to do anything.”</p><p>“Okay,” he conceded with a huff, knowing there was no way he was going to be winning this battle. “I won’t go on these missions when you’re further along, but until then, they still need me.”</p><p>“<em>Percy</em>,” she complained, tears actually dropping from her eyes now. She was rarely ever in control of her own emotions anymore, hence the spontaneous tears.</p><p>“<em>Annabeth</em>,” he mimicked, wiping her face for her. “I know you don’t like it, but it for the best. I’m doing it to keep you safe too, you know.”</p><p>“Why can’t you just stay with me?” she asked, her voice small.</p><p>He kissed the side of her head, smoothing down her tangled curls. “You know I want to.”</p><p>“Do you?” she challenged miserably.</p><p>Percy tried to push down the rising anger. He knew that it wasn’t really her talking, but the hormones and sleepiness. “I do want to be here, and you know that.”</p><p>“It’s not fair.” She sniffled. “I just want to cuddle my boyfriend all day.”</p><p>“I know,” he said. “But we can cuddle right now while I’m still here, so let’s do that.”</p><p>Annabeth nodded and let him lead her back to laying down. He rested her head on a fluffy pillow and then laid down beside her, pulling her snug against his chest and then tangling his legs with hers.</p><p>Just as he was about to pull the blanket and comforter back around them, a noise rang out in the ship. Or rather, a lack of it.</p><p>The dull thrum the ship made cut off, leaving a deafening silence and ringing in the air. The air conditioning unit came to a sudden stop, and a sound much like crackling electricity started outside. Everything was completely dark except for one of the few moons shining light through the reinforced window of their room, which was a deep contrast from the light of the electric dome outside.</p><p>Annabeth looked up and out the window in wonder, only to spot the electric dome flicking unsteadily for a few seconds before it started up again. The units in the ship started back up again and the soothing sound of the air being circulated returned.</p><p>“What was that?” she asked Percy, who had paused and sat up to stare outside.</p><p>He shook himself out of the daze, but the deep frown on his face persisted. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t supposed to be happening. “I don’t know,” he admitted.</p><p>“Should we…?” She didn’t know what she was planning on saying. Going to check it out didn’t seem like the best thing to do in the middle of the night, especially if it was actually malfunctioning. Besides, everyone was still sleeping. It came back on, so whatever it was could wait until the morning.</p><p>Percy shook his head, moving to lay down and pull the blankets up again. “Let’s just go to sleep. We’ll bring it up tomorrow at the meeting.”</p><p>Annabeth tucked her nose under the blanket, much like a toddler hiding from the dark would. “Okay.”</p><p>Percy’s hand went back to her swollen stomach, rubbing soothing circles on it. He found himself doing that a lot recently. “I love you.”</p><p>“I love you too,” she replied, grinning as he pressed quick kisses into the underside of her jaw.</p><p>They broke off into a comfortable silence, and Percy’s breathing evened out much sooner than hers did. She was still distracted by the sudden stop in all of the mechanics on the ship, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. It was enough to keep her up for another half-hour before the drowsiness overcame her and she fell into a dreamless sleep.</p><hr/><p>Annabeth winced, pressing a hand onto her stomach to smooth over where the baby had just kicked. It felt like the baby was throwing an incredible tantrum before it was even out of the womb, and honestly? Annabeth felt like doing the exact same thing, so the baby’s actions were highly appropriate.</p><p>She was really being forced to sit in the control room with the rest of the essential crew and listen to them drone on about how important this mission was to look for fertile <em>fields</em> to grow <em>crops</em> and all of that useless <em>crap</em>.</p><p>Okay, fine. Not <em>useless</em>, but severely inconvenient for Annabeth.</p><p>“We’re going to be heading about fifty miles north of here. The radars say that there’s some empty fields up there, and it looks pretty promising,” Jason told the crew, pulling up a general map onto the hologram. “We’ve never been in this direction, so we have to keep our eyes open.”</p><p>Annabeth snorted, and everyone looked at her expectantly. Fifty miles meant they’d be gone about a week since they were going on foot, so she was pretty much going to be stuck on the ship alone, watching over the reject personnel (Octavian). She wisely chose not to bring it up at that moment; they already thought she was hormonal enough as it was.</p><p>“Now, we’re going to be bringing about ten people with us. It’s best to travel light in these situations.” Jason poked around at the hologram. “Any questions?”</p><p>Annabeth raised her hand from where she was sitting in a chair. Everyone else was standing up, go figure, but Percy had practically shoved her into the swivel chair and was leaning against it behind her. “Why am I here?” she asked.</p><p>“Because… you’re a part of the essential crew?” Jason said hesitantly.</p><p>“Am I though?”</p><p>Jason’s face contorted in confusion, looking up at Percy who, unbeknownst to her, shook his head to tell Jason not to prod any further. Wisely, Jason said, “Yes. Any other questions?”</p><p>This time, it was Piper who raised her hand. “Who’s going to be a part of the team?”</p><p>Jason looked to Frank to answer. Frank stepped forwards and said, “I was thinking we should have a few of us on the team. Percy–”</p><p>Annabeth rolled her eyes and crossed her arms at that. Percy squeezed her shoulder in warning.</p><p>“–Jason, Reyna, Hazel, and me. Also Octavian.”</p><p>Reyna groaned. “We’re bringing that kid? He smells like nacho cheese.”</p><p>“I love nacho cheese,” Leo said in amazement.</p><p>“Not on humans,” she countered.</p><p>“Yes, we’re bringing Octavian,” Frank clarified. “He may smell weird and all, but he’s good at what he does, and he’s the best agricultural analyst we have. We still need another four people, so anyone can volunteer.”</p><p>Annabeth cleared her throat. “If anyone can volunteer, then–”</p><p>She didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Percy and Frank simultaneously said, “Not you.”</p><p>“But that’s not even fair!” Annabeth sat up straighter in her chair and tried to look menacing, which was easier said than done when you were six months pregnant and looking a cute teddy bear that needed cuddles. “You can’t just keep me on this ship like a hostage!”</p><p>“That’s not what we want to do, Annabeth,” Frank said, wringing his fingers together. “But you are the first person to have a baby. There’s a lot riding on you, and we need you to stay safe. We can’t risk having you out on foreign grounds.”</p><p>“I can protect myself,” she pleaded. “You’re going to be gone for a week and I’m going to be sitting here twiddling my thumbs until you get back.”</p><p>Frank hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “I know you can protect yourself, but there’s just too much that can go wrong. If you suddenly get sick, or take a big fall, we don’t be able to help you when we’re that far from the ship.”</p><p>“Then make Percy stay.”</p><p>Annabeth could hear Percy’s exasperated breath behind her, but before he could start arguing, Frank settled it for him.</p><p>“Percy is the most important member of the crew. We have to have him there.”</p><p>“And what am I going to be doing here?”</p><p>“Leading the camp,” he told her. “You’re still one of the most, if not <em>the</em> most important person on this trip. People look up to you and listen to you. We’re not trying to hold you back from being a leader, because we all know you can do it, but you’re getting really far along in your pregnancy and it’s just too dangerous. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Annabeth snarled, slumping back into the seat feeling just about ready to murder everyone on the ship with her own two hands. Percy tried to settle his hand on her back, but she shook him off aggressively. Everyone’s eyes were trained to them, shocked.</p><p>Percy tried not to let it get to him, and he changed the subject. “When are we leaving, then?”</p><p>“In a few hours,” Jason said. “We’ll need to pack our bags quickly– we want to have as much daylight as we can.”</p><p>Percy nodded in understanding. “Are we done with the meeting then?”</p><p>“Uh– almost.” Jason turned to Piper and Leo. “Do either of you want to come along?”</p><p>Piper didn’t even need to think before shaking her head. “I’ll stay with Annabeth.”</p><p>“I don’t need a <em>babysitter</em>–”</p><p>“Thank you,” Jason interrupted, turning to Leo. “You?”</p><p>“I’m good,” Leo said. “I have other stuff to focus on.”</p><p>That brought Annabeth’s attention to Leo. “I forgot to say. Last night, the power went out on everything, and the dome flickered. What was that about?”</p><p>Leo smiled tightly. “Percy already mentioned it. It’s under control.”</p><p>“May I ask how? Why was it even cutting off in the first place?”</p><p>Leo looked stressed and his eyes glanced to Percy standing above her. Percy must’ve said something that she couldn’t see because when Leo looked back to her, he repeated, “It’s being handled.”</p><p>Annabeth went rigid, realizing that there was something going unsaid within the group that she wasn’t a part of. She didn’t get a chance to point it out before Jason and Frank were dismissing everyone. <em>Well, if that’s the way it’s gonna be…</em></p><p>The rest of the group started to wander off, except for Piper and Percy. Annabeth was still fuming to herself about what Percy must’ve said to Leo, or when he had even been away from her long enough to hold a conversation about the camp that she was in charge of.</p><p>“You ready to go?” Percy asked, reaching out to help her to her feet.</p><p>She smacked his hand away, standing on her own. “You’re the one who’s leaving,” she snapped, beginning to waddle off on her own, leaving Percy to trail behind her.</p><p>“Don’t play that game with me right now.” He sped up a few steps to get next to her before continuing. “I’m just trying to help you.”</p><p>Annabeth stopped walking, waiting until he turned to face her before letting out her next words. “When did you go talk to Leo?”</p><p>Percy laughed in incredulity. “This morning at breakfast? I don’t see why that matters.”</p><p>“Why wasn’t I a part of the conversation?”</p><p>“You were getting food.” Percy stuffed his hands into his pocket. “Where are you going with this?”</p><p>“I’m in charge of the camp, and even if I’m not going on these expeditions, I’m still a leader here. Why wasn’t I a part of it?”</p><p>“You weren’t there,” he repeated.</p><p>Piper, who had been following them awkwardly, spoke up. “Should I go?”</p><p>“Probably,” Percy said, not moving his eyes from Annabeth’s face. Once Piper disappeared in a hurry to get out of the tension so stiff she could cut it with a knife, Percy spoke up. “You weren’t a part of the conversation because you weren’t there when I brought it up. I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal.”</p><p>“Oh, it’s not,” she replied, crossing her arms over her bump. “But it is a big deal when you won’t tell me what’s going on with it.”</p><p>“That’s because there’s nothing going on with it,” he said, his patience quickly thinning. “It was a fluke, and it’s being handled. That’s all there is to it.”</p><p>“<em>Right</em>.”</p><p>“What do you want me to do, Annabeth?” Percy sighed. “I’m trying to make you happy here, but everything I do seems to piss you off, so just tell me what to do.”</p><p>Her eyes darkened, and she told herself to dial it back but of course her pregnancy fueled body did the opposite. “Maybe stop talking to me like I’m a child, for starters.”</p><p>“Then stop acting like one.”</p><p>“I’m not acting like one.”</p><p>“You are,” he insisted. “I love you but come on. You’re making everyone else feel awkward and guilty for no reason.”</p><p>“I’m not.”</p><p>“Why do you think Piper ran off?”</p><p>“You told her to.”</p><p>“The only reason she felt like she needed to is because you were picking a fight.”</p><p>“I was not–”</p><p>“You were, and you are again right now.” Percy ran his hand through his hair. “I really don’t want to do this. I’m leaving in a few hours, and I’d much rather spend that time with you than off somewhere in the ship because you’re mad at me, so can we please drop it?”</p><p>Annabeth still felt the knot of frustration in his stomach, but he was right. She might’ve been mad right now, but even she had enough common sense to know that she’d be missing him by the end of the day.</p><p>“Do you promise me that there’s nothing going on?” she asked.</p><p>“I promise.” Percy smiled and held out his hand. “Cuddles?”</p><p>“I’m still mad at you,” she said quietly, accepting his hand and being wrapped comfortably in his arms.</p><p>“I know,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple and smiling when he felt the baby kick against his stomach. “Come on.”</p><p>Percy led her through the corridors of the ship, and she waddled along like a content little penguin, holding onto his hand tightly until they reached the room they now shared. Since they got together, they were switched to a singular, and much bigger room for the two of them.</p><p>Once Percy pushed open the door, she wasted no time before flopping onto the bed carefully, pulling the warm blankets around her and wrapping herself like a burrito. Percy shook his head with a fond smile, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips before standing and going to the dresser built into the wall of the ship.</p><p>Annabeth turned onto her side, cozy in her burrito, to watch him start packing clothes. Her vision lingered on his form, the muscles of his back visible and flexing through his shirt as he moved around. She may be about to have a baby, but even she could appreciate the wonderful form of her boyfriend’s body.</p><p>When Percy looked up, he caught her staring. “Like what you see?” he teased, placing clothes into a backpack he’d pulled out of the closet.</p><p>“Not at all,” she said. “You look disgusting and I’m appalled to have to share a room with you.”</p><p>“I’m so sorry,” he said, humoring her. “I can leave if you’d like?”</p><p>“Please do,” she replied, feigning joy.</p><p>“I’ll be out in two hours.”</p><p>Annabeth frowned. “That wasn’t funny.”</p><p>“My bad,” he said, looking around him for another shirt to pack. Her changes in moods barely even phased him anymore. He just sucked it up and handled her picky personality. He really was the sweetest to her.</p><p>“I don’t want you to leave.” No response. “Will you really stop going on the expeditions once I’m closer to forty weeks?”</p><p>“Of course, Annabeth.”</p><p>“Just watch. Something’s going to happen to me while you’re gone and you’re going to regret going on the mission.”</p><p>“Don’t joke like that,” he said. “You’re going to be okay. I’ll be back before you know it.”</p><p>“And what if you’re not?”</p><p>“I will be,” he reassured, standing up off the floor. “I promise.”</p><p>“Am I still your favorite person in the world?”</p><p>Percy walked to Annabeth’s side and placed his backpack down on the bed. “In the <em>universe</em>,” he corrected.</p><p>“Even when I annoy you?”</p><p>“Especially when you annoy me.” Percy chuckled, sitting beside her head and pulling her head onto his lap to run his fingers through her curls. Her eyes fluttered shut, pleased. “I love you so much.”</p><p>“Good. If you didn’t, I would be very sad.”</p><p>“Well, it’s a good thing I love you a lot.”</p><p>Annabeth grinned, looking at his face that appeared upside down to her. “That’s good.”</p><p>Percy’s fingers trailed down to her bump. “How’s baby doing?”</p><p>“Baby is being a pain. It keeps kicking and it hurts.”</p><p>“Aw.” Percy pretended to knock on her stomach. “Hello? It’s daddy, and I was just wondering if you could stop kicking mommy in the tummy. She says it hurts a lot.” He paused, leaning towards her as though to hear an answer. “Thank you,” he said. He looked to Annabeth. “She says she’ll be nice to you while I’m gone.”</p><p>“That’s a relief,” she laughed. “She?”</p><p>“Mhm. I’m sure of it.”</p><p>“Oh, one-hundred percent. Now get down here and give me some cuddles.”</p><p>Percy smirked. “Is that what you want me to do?”</p><p>Annabeth thought, and them a slow smile spread across her face. “<em>Actually</em>…”</p><p>“Mm?”</p><p>“Let’s not cuddle. Let’s do something else.”</p><p>“Oh? What is this something else you speak of?”</p><p>She raised an eyebrow, sultry smile slipping onto her face. “Guess.”</p><p>“You’re going to have to tell me. Otherwise, I’m going to start thinking that you’re suggesting something I know you’re not, since you’re, you know, <em>six months pregnant</em>.”</p><p>“Come on, it’ll be fun.”</p><p>Percy made a doubtful face. “I don’t want to hurt you.”</p><p>“Big ego you’ve got there,” she said, sitting up and getting on her knees to face him. “You’re not that big.”</p><p>“First of all, that’s not what I meant. Second, words hurt.”</p><p>“Please?” she asked sweetly, pressing a kiss to his lips to get him started.</p><p>“What if you’re not comfortable?”</p><p>She pressed another longer kiss to the underside of his jaw, sucking the patch of skin a little rougher. “I’ll be on top.”</p><p>Percy groaned, hands moving to her back as she continued to suck bruises into the base of his neck. “You’re impossible.”</p><p>Annabeth smirked, climbing onto his lap and feeling him under her. “You love it.”</p><p>“Unfortunately.” Percy caught her lips with his, pressing hard. “You sure you want to do this?” he asked between breathtaking kisses.</p><p>“Oh yes,” she replied, rocking her hips against his, a small gasp slipping out between her lips. “<em>So</em> much better than cuddling.”</p><hr/><p>Annabeth watched as the group of ten gathered outside the ship, chatting amongst themselves. It was a few hours later and they were about to leave. She hadn’t been comfortable with the idea from the start, but now that she was standing here watching them prepare to venture into the unknown, she really felt like throwing a tantrum so that Percy would stay.</p><p>Of course, the second that she even thought about crying, the tears came over her against her will. She couldn’t control it at this point. She told herself not to cry because there really wasn’t a reason to, but it did little to deter the tears. They kept trailing down her face anyways, so she turned around to avoid people realizing it.</p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p>So much for that plan.</p><p>Annabeth didn’t turn around to address Piper. She just wiped at her tears with the sleeves of Percy’s sweater she was wearing and nodded.</p><p>“Annabeth,” Piper tried softly, reaching for her arm. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>Annabeth shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m trying not to try, but every time I tell myself that I’m okay, I just– just keep crying more.” She hiccupped.</p><p>“Oh, sweetie,” Piper sympathized. “Do you want me to get Percy before I leave?”</p><p>“Don’t,” she said. “I don’t even know why I’m crying,” she laughed out. “No need to worry him right now.”</p><p>“He would want to know,” Piper reassured. “Let him come say goodbye.”</p><p>Annabeth resisted. “He already said goodbye. I’m okay.”</p><p>“<em>Babe</em>…” Piper sighed, tugging on one of her curls gently. “Do you want to just go inside then? We can spend the rest of the day looking out that big window you love, if you’d like. There isn’t much going on today since everything’s pretty much built.”</p><p>“Yeah.” Annabeth sniffled and rubbed her eyes dry again. “Let’s go then.” She started to walk off with Piper by her side, but a large hand wrapped around her upper arm to stop her. She already knew it was Percy from the way the hand felt before she turned around.</p><p>“Where are you going?”</p><p>Annabeth, still looking away, replied, “We were going to the observation floor.”</p><p>“Look at me, Annabeth.” When she did, Percy’s eyebrows drew together. “Why were you crying?”</p><p>She had just managed to thwart the tears, but his words sent the barriers breaking again. Tears streamed down her face and her lower lip quivered.</p><p>“<em>Hey</em>,” he said, alarmed. He pulled her into his embrace. “What’s going on?”</p><p>“Why are you leaving me?” she cried, her tears staining his shirt. She shook slightly in his arms, and she felt really bad because it wasn’t fair to him. Every two seconds, she was crying or pissed, and Percy was always there to calm her down, and she hated it, but she needed it, and it wasn’t <em>fair</em> to him.</p><p>“Annabeth,” he said gently, threading his fingers through her hair to hold her head to his chest. “I don’t want to, but they need me there.”</p><p>“I know.” Her breath caught on another sob. “I’m– I’m gonna miss you.”</p><p>His grip tightened on her. “It’s only one week. I’ll be back before you know it.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” she whispered, face still stuffed against his shirt.</p><p>“Don’t be.” Percy was silent for a minute, letting Annabeth try to calm herself. “Is something wrong?”</p><p>Annabeth shook her head, disconsolate.</p><p>“<em>Annabeth</em>,” he said with emphasis. “Are you feeling okay?”</p><p>She looked up, confused, but when she saw his face, she understood what he was trying to do. His eyes silently told her that if she really needed him to, he would stay. She just had to say the word and he’d do it.</p><p>Annabeth wanted to, <em>so</em> badly. Here he was, offering to stay despite knowing he had to go just because she was crying. Percy loved her so much he was willing to throw all else aside for her, but she couldn’t do that to him.</p><p>“I’m okay,” she voiced, though her voice crack said otherwise. “You need to go.”</p><p>“Beth…” he lowered his voice, so his words were between them only. “I won’t go if that’s really what you want.”</p><p>Annabeth whimpered. “No. I’ll get over it. You’re already packed and ready to go.”</p><p>“I don’t want to see you sad.” Percy’s eyes softened. “You’re more important than some mission. They’ll survive without me.”</p><p>“I’ll survive too,” she said, and her heart thumped in her chest because she wanted so badly for him to stay with her, but it was better in the long run if he went. “Just promise me you’ll be safe.”</p><p>“I promise,” he whispered, pressing his lips to the top of her head. “I love you.”</p><p>“I love you too.” She sniffled, pushing at his chest until he let her go. “I’ll see you in one week.”</p><p>“One week,” he promised. “It’ll be over before you know it.”</p><p>Annabeth rubbed at her face, looking away from him before she involuntarily started bawling for the third time. Percy lifted her chin with his fingers and pressed one, then two kisses to her lips in goodbye.</p><p>“I’ll see you soon.”</p><hr/><p>Two days after Percy left, Annabeth was already getting frighteningly close to killing someone. Without him there, no one was able to talk her down from her mood swings and be there by her side just because she didn’t want to be alone.</p><p>She had gotten so used to having someone there with her during the day and at night that she really missed having her boyfriend here with her. Annabeth didn’t like that she had become so dependent on another person, but also, she didn’t like being alone anymore. Sue her.</p><p>“I can’t believe that we’re actually here,” Piper said to Leo. “On a planet, which is actually really muggy and gross, and building a life here!”</p><p>Leo screeched. “Building a life, indeed! Annabeth is having the cutest baby ever so that we’ll have a crew of one-hundred one instead of just one-hundred!”</p><p>“My baby is not a part of the crew,” she said through grit teeth. She was perched on a couch in the observation deck, staring outside at the red-barked trees with sickeningly-green leaves. The wind outside was swaying the trees quite a bit, so they had stopped all construction outside just in case something fell, or someone dropped something.</p><p>“Not yet,” he said. “She will be once out of the womb.”</p><p>“Why do they call it the womb?” Piper asked, deep in thought. “That’s a weird name for it and it’s kinda hard to say.”</p><p>“Maybe it’s because there’s not a lot of womb in there,” Leo laughed out. “Get it? Room? Womb?”</p><p>“Moron,” Annabeth muttered, rubbing her lower stomach where a sharp pain had just spread out across.</p><p>“What was that, Ms. Hormonal?” Leo asked as though he had a death wish.</p><p>“If you think I’m so hormonal, what makes you think that I won’t toss you off the top of the observation deck?”</p><p>“The fact that the windows in here don’t open. Otherwise, we would’ve been dead a long time ago.”</p><p>“Those windows are no match for my mama-bear strength.”</p><p>“Oh, I’m so scared now,” Leo said, expressionless. “I think it’s entirely unfair that you get to talk to me that way and I don’t get to insult you back because you’re pregnant.”</p><p>“By all means, insult me back. See what happens.”</p><p>“No, thank you. Despite my previous statements, I do believe that you will actually throw me off the top of the ship and leave me nothing more than a pretty painting of red in the abnormally green grass.”</p><p>“Good boy.” Annabeth bit back a gasp as another sharp pain spread out across her stomach. She looked down and pressed her hand over the throbbing spot, trying not to cry out as it happened again. It was different than anything that had ever happened before, and it hurt.</p><p>When it happened a fourth time, she couldn’t keep to herself as she let out a strangled sound, shutting her eyes tight and leaning forwards to double in on herself. Piper and Leo’s conversation died off as they stared at her in concern.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Piper asked.</p><p>The pain stopped for a second and she was able to respond. “I’m fine,” she said, breathless. “I just–” Her words cut off as she winced, biting her lip until she felt blood. She had no idea what was going on because it was new, and it was so sudden, but she knew without a doubt that something was very wrong. This was not supposed to be happening.</p><p>“Annabeth!” Piper said alarmed, scooting closer to her on the couch to grab her shoulder and ground her to reality. “What’s going on? What hurts?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” she gulped, stifling a sharp cry as it happened again. “A– a stabbing pain.”</p><p>The pain persisted, and everything else drowned out. She couldn’t hear Piper’s frantic questions or Leo’s soothing words. All she could focus on was the pain and how it wasn’t right, and something was wrong.</p><p>At some point, Piper and Leo managed to get her up and were dragging her around the ship. Annabeth could barely breathe as it only got worse with every second. She hoped that whatever was happening, the baby was okay, because it couldn’t not be okay with Percy not here, and he had promised, and–</p><p>Annabeth was being set down on a bed, and she wasn’t even aware that they had entered the infirmary, too consumed in every sensation being unleashed on her. She didn’t hear Will talking to her, examining her stomach and pressing something into her arms. She didn’t know how much time had passed by the time the pain had subsided enough for her to at least be able to talk.</p><p>“Hey, Annabeth,” Will tried, kneeling beside the bed she was leaning on. “You with us now?”</p><p>Annabeth took a deep breath, her body shaking slightly. The pains were still there, but they were calming down. She just nodded in response.</p><p>“You doing okay?” he asked, handing her a cup of water, which she accepted gratefully. As she moved it to her mouth, some of the water spilt out of the cup with her tremors, so he helped her hold it to her lips and take a few sips. “You gave us all quite the scare there.”</p><p>Annabeth managed a tired laugh that sounded more like a wheeze. “I gave <em>myself </em>the scare there.”</p><p>“Yeah.” Will tapped her lower stomach, and she realized he had placed something there. “Gave you a heating pad to stop the cramps.”</p><p>“Cramps?”</p><p>He bobbed his head. “The pain you felt was cramps. It tends to happen in the second trimester, which you’re still in.”</p><p>Annabeth took another sip of water and Will helped her. “It really hurt. It still does.”</p><p>“It’s not as common of a symptom of pregnancy, especially not to the degree you got it, but it does happen. We just have to keep an eye on you from now on.”</p><p>“But– why?” Annabeth winced again as another pain flared up.</p><p>“Why did you get the cramps?”</p><p>She nodded slightly.</p><p>“The baby grows a lot during the second trimester. It was round ligament pain; basically, the ligament supporting the uterus was being stretched as the baby grew, so you felt the cramping. It shouldn’t last too long since you’re nearing seven months.”</p><p>Annabeth stretched her back. “How’d you get it to stop?”</p><p>“Heat. It can usually relax the muscles, so just lay with the heating pad for a while. You’ll be okay– nothing to be alarmed about.”</p><p>Annabeth looked around the room to find it empty. Both Piper and Leo were gone. “How long was I here?”</p><p>“About an hour. You were pretty dissociated for a while.”</p><p>“An <em>hour</em>?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Will looked at her face which was still scrunched up in pain. “You’re still really hurting?”</p><p>“I wish I wasn’t,” she pushed through grit teeth. “What do I do?”</p><p>“There’s nothing you can do. I’ll keep you here overnight just to make sure everything fine, but I highly doubt anything’s wrong.”</p><p>At that, Annabeth said, “Oh, no. You don’t need to keep me here overnight.”</p><p>“And if Percy were to find out I let you wander around after you were in so much pain you couldn’t breathe?” Will whistled. “Yeah, no. You’re staying here tonight.”</p><p>“Will.”</p><p>“No arguing.”</p><p>“Please?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“You’re going to say no to the pregnant lady?”</p><p>“You’re here <em>because</em> you’re the pregnant lady.”</p><p>“I hate being pregnant.”</p><p>Will laughed out loud. “No one told you to get pregnant.”</p><p>“That was one of the reasons I was picked for this trip, actually.”</p><p>“You weren’t actually supposed to have kids for another few years at the very <em>least</em>. This is on you for not using protection.”</p><p>“Fuck you.”</p><p>“Hey, now. No need for words like that– baby’s hearing is developing.”</p><p>She said it again just to spite him.</p><p>“Whatever,” Will said, smiling. “Just rest for a little bit. Take a nap, or whatever. I’ll be back to check on you in a little bit.”</p><p>Will wandered off out of the infirmary, leaving Annabeth by herself, which she definitely didn’t like. Now that she was alone with her thoughts, her mind drifted back to Percy. He was not going to be happy about this, even though she was fine. It didn’t matter what she told him– he was going to feel extremely bad about it which is why she wasn’t going to tell him.</p><p>It wasn’t a big deal; Will had said it himself. It wasn’t going to be sticking around anyways, so there was no point in telling Percy about what had happened.</p><p>With that in mind, Annabeth turned onto her side to lay down. After everything, she was exhausted and could really use a good nap, so that’s exactly what she did. It wasn’t long before she was in a deep sleep, the pain finally beginning to subside, and her mind made up about what she was going to tell Percy, which was nothing.</p><p>Of course, you can imagine her disappointment when she’s being woken up by Will to talk to Percy over the radio a few hours later.</p><p>Annabeth’s eyes blinked open, her brain still foggy and trying to process what was happening as Will shoved a radio into her hands. When she heard Percy’s voice, she was suddenly more awake and definitely internally cursing herself because if she hadn’t fallen asleep, she would’ve been able to stop Will from calling Percy.</p><p>“Hello?” she asked, voice thick with sleep.</p><p>The radio crackled for a few moments before he answered. <em>“Hey. I heard what happened. Are you okay?”</em></p><p>“I’m fine. I was sleeping.”</p><p>
  <em>“–sorry. I wanted to talk to you and see how you were doing.”</em>
</p><p>“How’d you even find out?”</p><p>
  <em>“We radio in once a day to check on everything. We you not going to tell me?”</em>
</p><p>Annabeth didn’t answer.</p><p><em>“Are you sure you’re okay?” </em>The radio crackled again, and she missed his next few words.<em> “–home?”</em></p><p>“What?”</p><p>
  <em>“–I need to come home?”</em>
</p><p>“No,” she said, curling up under the blanket that must’ve been placed on her while she was asleep. “You can’t come home. You’re on a trip.”</p><p>There was a long pause before he answered, and she thought he might’ve turned the radio off. <em>“Funny you think I won’t turn this whole trip around.”</em></p><p>“All this for silly old me?” she joked, eyes fluttering shut. She had definitely missed his voice and it had only been two days. Maybe him finding out wasn’t so bad if it meant she got to talk to him for a little bit.</p><p>
  <em>“I’m serious, Annabeth. Do I need to come home? Are you sure you’re okay?”</em>
</p><p>“I’m okay,” she reassured. “Just tired, now.”</p><p>
  <em>“Okay. Well, we’re making faster progress than we expected, so I should be back in only a few more days.”</em>
</p><p>“When you get home, I demand you stay in the room with me all day and we just sleep.”</p><p><em>“–atever you want.” </em>He spoke again but every word was fuzzed over the line.</p><p>“I can’t hear you,” she told him.</p><p>
  <em>“–have to go now.”</em>
</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p><em>“I’ll see you soon,” </em>he said. <em>“I love you.”</em></p><p>“I love you too,” she answered, but the line had already been taken over by static. She set the radio down and looked at Will, confused. “Why is there so much interference?”</p><p>Will took the radio from her and set it on the table. “I have no idea. It’s been happening for the last few days. I think it’s the same thing that was messing with the barrier.”</p><p>“That wasn’t fixed?”</p><p>“Leo’s working on it.”</p><p>“Oh.” Annabeth hadn’t been told any of this. “Okay.”</p><p>“Sorry I woke you up. You can go back to sleep now.”</p><p>“No, it’s okay.” She yawned. “What time is it?”</p><p>“Almost midnight, which is why you should go back to sleep. We’re starting to build the final building tomorrow, and you need to oversee it.”</p><p>Annabeth looked at him dubiously. “I know that.”</p><p>“Then sleep, woman.”</p><p>“You suck.”</p><p>“I know, I know.” Will started to walk from the room, and over his shoulder said, “Goodnight.”</p><p>Annabeth shook her head with a cheeky grin, settling under the blankets. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep so fast again, but the day was just exhausting even though it felt like it passed in the blink of an eye, so before she knew it, she was out like a light.</p><hr/><p>When Percy finally came back, Annabeth was the first person there to greet him, jumping into his arms and holding on for dear life. She had missed him more than she thought possible, and she’d of course spent longer times apart, but this one hit her the most.</p><p>“I missed you,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing.</p><p>Percy dropped the backpack that he had been holding to grip her tightly. “I missed you more,” he said, pressing his nose into the top of her head and just breathing her in. He had felt so bad that she was here alone and in exorbitant amounts of pain while he was out and about talking about planting strawberries in some pretty green fields.</p><p>“That’s not possible.” Annabeth got onto her toes. “Give me a kiss.”</p><p>Percy conceded, pressing his lips to hers for a few seconds, just taking a moment to appreciate her and have her here in his grasp again. God, he’d missed this. They were both starting to sound like two teenagers all hormonal and in love, and people were probably staring, but they didn’t care.</p><p>When he pulled apart from her, he lifted her face to look at him. His eyes roamed her features, wanting to make sure she was okay after the fright she’d had while he was gone.</p><p>“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, and then gave her another kiss because he missed her, and because he could.</p><p>“Better now that you’re here,” she gave him with a cheeky grin.</p><p>“No more cramps?” he pressed.</p><p>“A few. I was able to handle them.”</p><p>Percy’s expression shifted to awe. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”</p><p>“You’re here now. I think I remember demanding a long nap with you.”</p><p>Percy chuckled, hugging her again. “You’re too damn cute.”</p><p>Annabeth jumped up to nudge his neck with her nose, and just nestle him. It’s funny, really. Months ago, she would’ve never been so affectionate; it just wasn’t really her personality. Now though, she wanted nothing more than to hop under a few warm blankets and have him hold her for hours on end. She blames it all on the hormones.</p><p>Someone catcalled them from inside the ship, and she realized it was Leo. He then said, “Hey, lovebirds! It’s pitch black outside, so we’re closing the hatch. If you want to spend the night outside, then don’t worry. If you had other plans, you better come now.”</p><p>Annabeth rolled her eyes at Leo’s oh so menacing threat, lacing her hand into Percy’s and leading him inside. Together, they walked past the few people gathered around the hatch and talking, calling out goodnight to the few they knew.</p><p>As they walked to their room, Annabeth swung Percy’s hand back and forth giddily. She planned to make him tell her every single detail about the trip when they got back to the room because, <em>hello</em>, a girl wanted to know.</p><p>Percy seemed to have other plans.</p><p>He immediately shut off the lights and then worked his way to the bed, flopping down and extending his arms for her to join him. She followed, giggling as he pulled her over him and then by his side, turning her so she could be the little spoon.</p><p>He pressed kisses behind her ear and then trailed down her neck, making Annabeth squeal and shrug her shoulder because it tickled. God, she would never get sick of this. Percy just laying with her and making her feel loved was something she never knew she needed until she had it right beneath her fingertips, and wow. It felt good to love someone so strongly.</p><p>“Percy,” she sighed. “Tell me about the trip.”</p><p>He groaned, stopping his teasing ministrations. “I don’t wanna talk about that right now. I just wanna sleep.”</p><p>“Nothing interesting happened?”</p><p>“We got to the field, tested soil, and it had the proper pH, so we took a sample and started to head home. The end. Now can we go to sleep?”</p><p>“You’re not going to shower?”</p><p>“In the morning. I’m exhausted.”</p><p>“Stinky,” she said, nudging his leg with her food.</p><p>“Sleepy,” he corrected, resting his head right beside her neck. His breath fanned out across her skin. As his arm snaked around the base of her belly, her heart threatened to burst in adoration.</p><p>The smile on her face was quickly wiped off as the power in the ship shut off again. The constant hum of the equipment came to a standstill and Annabeth could hear the electric dome beginning to crackle again.</p><p>Annabeth lifted her head to listen for anymore sounds, but all that came was the popping sound as the electric fence spotted and flickered. She scrunched her eyebrows, settling her head back down.</p><p>Whatever was happening was not good, she knew that for sure. She had thought it was being handled, according to literally everyone she’d talked to about it, but it clearly wasn’t. It was actually really beginning to worry her. They had no idea what was on the planet, and whether or not there were other animals there. They knew for sure about the swarms though, which alone was enough reason to keep the fence on. If it wasn’t working, then that posed a very serious problem that needed to be fixed sooner rather than later.</p><p>“Should we go do something?” Annabeth asked when it didn’t start back up. The silence, though no noise, was deafening and she didn’t know if she’d be able to sleep with it like that.</p><p>“Leo’s probably working on it,” he said lightly. “Let’s not stress over it.”</p><p>“But there’s a lot of things going on like that,” she said. “The radios weren’t working either. And now the ship is still shut off and the dome’s about to fall apart.”</p><p>“I’m sure Leo has it under control,” he said. The way he was talking was weird, like he was trying to steer her away from the topic of conversation, but it flew past Annabeth’s ears. “Let’s just sleep.”</p><p>Annabeth gave in, tugging at the covers until they came around her. She settled in and got as comfortable as she could (which was not comfortable at all), but of course she couldn’t fall asleep now that everything had shut off.</p><p>Percy on the other hand, was knocked out within minutes.</p><p>Here she was again, alone with her thoughts. As the ship never came back on, she began to worry herself sick. Annabeth knew it wasn’t the best idea to think of worst-case scenarios, but she couldn’t help it anymore because all she could think was if it didn’t come back on, everyone was terribly screwed.</p><p>They needed that fence to survive. Without it, no one would be safe. Eventually, the swarms of bugs would find their way into the ship, and even if they didn’t, they couldn’t survive on the ship forever. They needed food and clean water, and the ship would only supply that for so long.</p><p>Not to mention her baby.</p><p>She was closer than she would’ve liked to actually giving birth to a baby. Annabeth never thought she wanted one, especially not with Percy, and especially not on a foreign planet, yet here she was. And she was happy, don’t get her wrong, but she was also frozen with fear.</p><p>She never had a good parent, so how was she expected to be one? She didn’t know the first thing about babies, and oh god, if they didn’t have the electric barrier, then–</p><p>Like the ship was reading her mind, the power started back up. The breath that she didn’t know she was even holding escaped her. She had no idea how long she was awake, just thinking about how they’d survive without the barrier, and every single possible thing that could go wrong. But now, she could finally go to sleep, so she began drifting off, and–</p><p>She was hungry.</p><p>Dear lord, of course she’d be hungry in the early hours of the night when literally everyone was asleep. Annabeth tried to just turn over and go to sleep anyways, but her stomach persisted. <em>Give me food</em>, it said. <em>And some delicious lime jello.</em> Annabeth told her stomach, <em>you don’t even like lime jello</em>. Her stomach didn’t care. It said, <em>give me lime jello, bitch</em>.</p><p>So, it seemed she would be getting herself some lime jello, then.</p><p>Annabeth was already facing Percy at this point, so she reached up to poke at his cheek. “Percy,” she whispered.</p><p>Percy was fast asleep and did not budge.</p><p>Annabeth lifted an eyelid, peeking into his eye. Percy just moved away and kissed the tip of her finger before nodding off again.</p><p>“Percy,” she tried again, brushing at his cheek repeatedly. “Wake up.”</p><p>Finally, Percy began to stir, wiping at his face. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I’m hungry.”</p><p>Percy groaned, flipping onto his other side. “You woke me up for that?”</p><p>“But I’m hungry,” she said, trailing her fingers down his spine.</p><p>“Can it wait until morning?”</p><p>“No,” she whispered, setting her chin onto his shoulder to peek over at him. “I’m starving.”</p><p>Percy blew a puff of air, opening both his eyes now that he was actually awake. “You’re really going to make me go get you food?”</p><p>“I was going to go with you, but if you bringing it to me is an option, then I choose that one please.”</p><p>“Nice try.” Percy pushed the covers away, scratching at his head. “Come on. Let’s get you some food.”</p><p>Annabeth squeaked delightedly, working her way off the bed carefully and waiting for him by the door. Percy stood slowly and walked to her, pressing her hand to the small of her back to guide her.</p><p>Annabeth was practically hopping down the hallway while Percy was dragging behind her, eerily similar to a zombie. The cafeteria wasn’t too big of a walk, so she pranced the whole way there, wasting no time in grabbing a handful of snacks from the pantry that only the main crew had access to and shoving them into Percy’s hands to hold while she looked for a drink.</p><p>She ended up just pulling a water bottle and sat down at a random table along the edge of the empty cafeteria. She pulled a bag of gummies from Percy’s hand and ripped it open, shoving one into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully.</p><p>“Are you mad at me?” she asked Percy, who had his head down and resting on his crossed arms, eyes closed.</p><p>“No,” he answered, keeping his eyes closed. “Just tired. Finish eating.”</p><p>“Do you want one?” she asked, offering the bag.</p><p>Percy just shook his head, and suddenly she felt bad again. He was so tired he was falling asleep at the table, and she made him come grab food with her when she very easily could’ve gone by herself.</p><p>“You can go back,” she told him, voice quiet now. “You don’t have to stay.”</p><p>“I’m not leaving you alone here,” he said, yawning. “Love you too much for that.”</p><p>“You’re so tired,” she pointed out. “You barely slept on the trip.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about me, Beth. I’ll be okay.” He yawned again. “Just keep our little girl nice and full in there.”</p><p>Annabeth smirked, an idea suddenly coming to mind. “I know what’ll wake you up.”</p><p>“Do you?”</p><p>“Let’s decide what we should name our baby, since you’re so insistent that it’s a girl.”</p><p>Percy cracked one eye open and his eyes shone bright. “I <em>know</em> it’s a girl.”</p><p>“If you’re so sure it’s a girl, then you’ll have some girl names in mind.”</p><p>Percy sat up, stretching for a second and then exhaling. “I don’t really. How about… Sara?”</p><p>“That’s does not fit in the slightest.”</p><p>“Too plain?”</p><p>“Too plain,” she confirmed, stuffing another snack in her mouth. “Jacqueline?”</p><p>“What? So she can be named Jackie Jackson?”</p><p>“Who said I’m giving the kid your last name?”</p><p>Percy paused. “Are we not doing that?”</p><p>“I mean…” She tried to think of a good way to phrase it. “I love you, but we’re not married. I want to have the baby with some part of my name, so I was thinking we could hyphenate it.”</p><p>He whined. “I wanted her to be a Jackson!”</p><p>“And she will be! She’ll just also be a Chase.”</p><p>“So you’re saying that if we were married, you would name her Jackson?”</p><p>“If we were married, yes.” She pointed a finger in his face. “We’re not married, though.”</p><p>“That’s because I haven’t proposed yet,” he blurted out.</p><p>“…Yet?”</p><p>Percy froze. “Pretend I didn’t say that.”</p><p>“Perseus Jackson, are you planning to propose to me?”</p><p>He leaned his head back and groaned, stuck. “I’m not saying anything else.”</p><p>“Percy,” she said. “Tell me!”</p><p>“All I’m going to tell you is to name the kid Jackson. You’ll be happy.”</p><p>She gave him a knowing smile and pressed her socked feet into his. “Awe, you big sap!”</p><p>“Are you going to name her Jackson?”</p><p>“I suppose it would be acceptable,” she said, mimicking indifference.</p><p>Percy squinted at her. “You’re a dirty little trickster, you know that?”</p><p>“I know,” she said, grinning. “Where’s the ring?”</p><p>“<em>Babe</em>.”</p><p>“Please?”</p><p>Percy made a motion to zip his lips and throw the key over his shoulder. “Let’s keep up with the names.”</p><p>“Hm. Should we decide a letter we like?”</p><p>“That’s probably smart. What names do you like?”</p><p>“I like ‘S.’”</p><p>“Any ideas?”</p><p>“What about Sabrina?”</p><p>“Eh.”</p><p>“Serena?”</p><p>“Too close to Sabrina.”</p><p>“Sophia?”</p><p>Percy considered the name, weighing it in his head. “I actually really like that one.”</p><p>“Good, because that’s the name I’ve wanted to name my kid since I was little.”</p><p>“Annabeth!” Percy snickered. “You can’t just blurt out your life-long dream name like that! What if I hadn’t liked it?”</p><p>“But you did,” she pointed out. “And I got your honest opinion I wouldn’t otherwise have gotten.”</p><p>“You got me there.” Percy snorted. “Sophia Jackson.”</p><p>“It fits better than I expected.”</p><p>“Better than Sophia Chase-Jackson.”</p><p>Annabeth scoffed and threw a gummy at him. “Rude.”</p><p>“Do you like it?” he pressed, picking the gummy up.</p><p>“I love it,” she said. And it was true. She thinks any name would sound good with the last name Jackson because it was Percy’s last name. She was pretty biased in that department.</p><p>Percy chuckled, and they just kept talking about their future baby for what felt like hours. They were all giddy and couldn’t believe that it had really come to this. They were having a baby girl (they guessed. It would be pretty awkward if it ended up being a boy and all of this was for nothing, and there was still a fifty percent chance that that happened.)</p><p>When Leo came into the cafeteria breathless, looking like he had just run a marathon around the ship, Annabeth immediately knew something was up.</p><p>“Where were you guys?” he wheezed, hands falling to rest on his knees as he hunched over. “I looked everywhere for you.”</p><p>“We were in the cafeteria… as you can clearly see…” Percy trailed off, watching Leo actually drip sweat onto the ground. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>Leo started hacking up a lung. “I’m calling an emergency meeting with the main eight.” He choked on his own spit. “There’s a vehicle orbiting the planet. We don’t know what it is, but it looks like it’s about to land.”</p><hr/><p>Hours later, the vehicle was still circling around the planet and the group was in the control center, watching its every move. They couldn’t get a close enough image to really tell what it was, but it was definitely being controlled by something that wasn’t them. That much was clear.</p><p>Annabeth stood in front of the hologram, Percy’s arms wrapped around her from behind in a protective manner. She was still staring at the holograms tracking of the UFO, going over every possibility, which was none. It just kept circling and circling as though it was looking for the right spot to land.</p><p>“So… we have no idea what this is?” Annabeth asked, directing her question to Leo. “There’s not even a clue?”</p><p>“Well, we know it’s being controlled by something, and with the speed it’s moving at, that something is pretty advanced.”</p><p>“UFOs,” Piper suggested.</p><p>“Of course it’s a UFO. It’s literally an unidentified flying object,” Leo said, clicking around on a tablet to zoom in on the side of the orbiting object. “The problem is that it looks like it’s getting ready to attack.”</p><p>“It has to know that we’re here, right?” Piper asked.</p><p>“I don’t see why it wouldn’t know we’re here. If they couldn’t see us, I get the feeling that it would’ve landed by now.”</p><p>Annabeth pursed her lips. “Of course this would happen at night when we’re not able to get a clear image of the ship.”</p><p>“As long as it doesn’t land anytime soon, we should be able to get a better reading in the daytime.”</p><p>Percy cleared his throat, still wrapping himself around Annabeth protectively. “Should we wake everyone else?”</p><p>“Unless you want to start a panic,” Annabeth told him, snorting. “It’s not actually hurting us, so we have to wait before we start retaliating against them. We don’t know what it’s capable of.”</p><p>“Exactly,” pitched in Reyna. “We don’t know what they’re capable of so it’s better to put them down before they kill us all.”</p><p>“We don’t know that it’ll kill us,” Jason said to Reyna. “I vote we wait to see what it is. We can send a few people to check it out if it ends up landing.”</p><p>“I can almost guarantee that whoever goes out ends up dead,” Reyna said. “Have you never seen alien movies?”</p><p>“I have, and because I studied space, I know that they’re hardly accurate.”</p><p>“You don’t <em>know</em> that–”</p><p>“Okay,” Percy interrupted. “We’ll wait and then decide a course of action. It’s the best thing we can do for right now.”</p><p>And so they did. Hours passed by and it still kept rotating around the planet. It never made a move to land, so they never made a move to act against it.</p><p>Annabeth didn’t even know what to think. It was just weird, staying up for hours and just watching the thing circle over and over. If it were daytime, it would be a lot easier to draw conclusions, but it wasn’t, and night lasted a bit longer on this planet so it wouldn’t be for hours.</p><p>The time did come, however, when the suns began to rise, and the darkness slowly faded away. It was just turning dawn, and everyone was more on edge now than ever. The vehicle didn’t make to land, so the group just kept watching it, locked in the control center, praying that it would go away.</p><p>It was passing right over them again, and then it suddenly wasn’t as a fire ignited beneath the hefty load and it began to lower to the ground. The entire room broke into chaos, watching every monitor and every action of the singular ship as it lowered to the ground.</p><p>“We’re so screwed,” Piper said, tapping away at the tablet in her station. “We’re so inevitably screwed.”</p><p>“Shut up,” hissed Leo, fidgeting with the cameras on the ship and zooming them into the hologram.</p><p>The cameras began to zoom into the side of the settling ship, and Annabeth watched as the image appeared on the hologram. Something was no longer sitting with her right as she stared at it. It looks similar to the ship that they were sitting on themselves, but she couldn’t quite pin her mind on why.</p><p>There was chatter within the room as they argued amongst themselves, but Annabeth payed no attention to them, because something was on the brink of her mind. Her body was screaming at her, telling herself that she should know what this was, and why it was happening, but it wasn’t quite clicking.</p><p>“Annabeth,” Percy called, breaking her out of her zone. When she looked up, everyone was looking at her. “What are you thinking? You have your thinking face on.”</p><p>“Shut up,” she silenced, holding a hand up to them as she kept running over every scenario. This scenario– she must’ve run over it a million times, but it wasn’t picking up in her mind. She knew what this was, but she couldn’t determine it now when it was most important.</p><p>Her eyes kept running over the edges of the ship that looked so similar to theirs, and it was foreign, but it also wasn’t at the same time. It was on the tip of her tongue, and everyone was staring at her, but she didn’t care. The way it moved, and the speed and everything about it was so familiar–</p><p>It clicked.</p><p>“Oh my god,” she whispered to herself, staring at it. It was so small and faint, but it was there. The NASA symbol was painted on the side of the ship, much like it had been for theirs, and it was so chipped and faded that it was barely recognizable, but it was there. The red and the blue lines were running along the side, but it was so indistinct that they had barely caught it, except she did. These people– she knew them.</p><p>“Oh my god,” she repeated, stepping closer to the hologram. “Open the loading hatch,” she told Leo. “Now.”</p><p>“Are you insane?” he asked. “We don’t know who they are!”</p><p>“Yes, we do,” she snapped, tracing over the lines of the symbol because there were more people sent after them, and it had been so long she couldn’t believe it. “Do you remember the message from Hephaestus months ago? He said something about another ship, but it had been cut off. This must’ve been what he meant, so open the damn doors.”</p><p>“Are you saying...” Reyna trailed off on her words, and it must’ve clicked for her too. “It’s really them.”</p><p>“Hold on,” Percy said, stopping them. “We have no way of knowing that for sure. We can’t just open the loading dock.”</p><p>“Look at the side!” Annabeth seethed, because the ship was landing, and she had a gut feeling about who was on it. “It has the NASA symbol. It’s faded and chipped, but it’s just barely there.”</p><p>Leo hesitated, his hands still on the tablet. “I don’t see the symbol. Annabeth, I know you want it to be someone from home, but–”</p><p>He never got to finish what he was saying because Annabeth snatched the tablet from his hands and started running. She ran out of the control room and turned the corner, looking down at the tablet in her hands and moving to the settings of the ship.</p><p>She heard people starting to run after her, but she still didn’t stop. Percy was somewhere behind her, yelling at her to just slow down, but she couldn’t because she knew who they were.</p><p>Annabeth clicked around the tablet, looking for the switch to bring down the loading dock’s hatch. She was so distracted that she almost ran into a wall after forgetting to turn, but that thankfully didn’t happen because she could hear Percy chasing her tail and he was making quick speed. Everyone else was still chasing after her, trying to make sure that she didn’t open the doors, but it was Percy who was closest, and she supposes that might’ve been because he had the most to lose, but she didn’t care.</p><p>Running through the metal corridors of the ship, she kept swiping through the controls until she found the switch that controlled the side door on the ship. Annabeth was getting close to the door, so she swiped down on the tablet, and the hiss of the door opening began. She turned the corner again, and the door came into sight, slowly lowering itself down.</p><p>There was a vague, “<em>Don’t let her get off!</em>” called by someone who she didn’t recognize because she was too focused on getting to the other ship.</p><p>She was so close to the door, and she could see the other ship settling down outside of their dome, so she looked back down to the tablet and found the switch for the electric dome, turning it off. The buzz from outside shut off in seconds, and the door was finally down just as she reached it.</p><p>Annabeth kept up her pace, and she set one foot outside to keep running, but then someone’s arms wrapped around her waist and pulled <em>hard</em>, sending her flying backwards. The tablet dropped out of her hands as she struggled against Percy, but he just tightened his grip, holding her in place.</p><p>Her fighting died down as the other ship’s loading dock dropped to the ground. Time seemed to slow as the entire group stood in on the hatch, watching the door fall. Little by little, it opened, and everyone held their breath, waiting to see if Annabeth’s intuition had been true.</p><p>It cracked open, and then some more, and more, and…</p><p>It was Chiron. It was Chiron, and also Malcolm standing next to him, and a few others that Annabeth had recognized from before they left.</p><p>It had been true, then. Months ago when they received signals from Earth, they had been told that there might’ve been another ship following after them, but they hadn’t actually known whether or not it was true. It had seemed too good to be true, and they couldn’t rely on the other ship rescuing them, so they had continued on with life, becoming accustomed to the idea of being stuck forever. But now…</p><p>Annabeth couldn’t believe her eyes. Her mentor and her best friend were standing right in front of her eyes, and she could pinch herself. She’d never thought she’d see them again, and she’d said her goodbyes, except they followed them here.</p><p>“Is that…?” Percy trailed off, voice dripping with wonder, with fascination.</p><p>“That’s them,” she said, gleeful. “I <em>told</em> you it was them.”</p><p>And then the Malcolm took a step off of the metal dock and they locked eyes, and before she knew what was happening, she shoved Percy’s arms off from around her and was running towards him.</p><p>He met her halfway, and she ran into him at full speed, sobbing into his shoulder and shaking. It was really Malcolm. The guy that had been her best friend back at Mission Control in Houston, Texas, the guy she loved like a brother was here when she thought she’d never get a chance to see his face again. Malcolm embraced her back and she should be embarrassed that she’s crying because she wasn’t usually like that before the trip, but she also can’t find it in her to care because he was <em>here</em>.</p><p>Behind her, Percy said to Chiron, “It’s so nice to see you again,” stepping in for a hug from someone who had been the father figure he’d never had.</p><p>The rest of the crew is a mess of chatter and tears, and Annabeth thought that they must’ve been familiar with some of the other members of the crew on that ship. When she pulled back to look at Malcolm’s face, she noticed the tears of joy streaking down his face. It was just so– so surreal and she doesn’t know how or why they were here, but they were, and she was just so happy.</p><p>“Why are you guys here?” Annabeth managed to say between her hiccups.</p><p>“It’s a long story, but we’ll explain in a little,” Malcolm promised. His eyes ran down her body and settled on the swollen stomach that had obviously not been there before she left. “You’re…”</p><p>“Yeah,” she said, laughing through her tears. “It’s a long story,” she copied.</p><p>Malcolm smiled widely and pulled her in for another hug before handing her off to Chiron, whose smile made her feel more at home than she had probably felt in two million years.</p><p>“Chiron,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “You’re really here.”</p><p>“I am, dear,” he said. “A lot happened after you guys left, and we’d appreciate it if we could all have a meeting. It’s rather urgent.”</p><p>“Of course,” she said, wiping her face and stepping back. “I just– this is really happening?”</p><p>“It is,” he answered. “We’ve lots to discuss.”</p><p>Malcolm said, “Like, a <em>lot</em>.”</p><p>“We sure do,” Percy interrupted. “It’s nice to see you Malcolm.”</p><p>“You too,” he said, grinning like a madman. “I never thought I’d see you two again.”</p><p>“Me either,” Percy admitted, tucking Annabeth into his side. It seemed to be then that Chiron noticed Annabeth’s stomach as he looked down, his face practically screaming <em>woah</em>.</p><p>“You’re pregnant,” he pointed out blatantly. “Congratulations.”</p><p>Annabeth smirked, because of course that’d be the first thing he said. “Thanks.”</p><p>“Guys,” Jason said, appearing behind the reunion of the four. “This is lovely, but it’s also a very big surprise. We should probably head inside. I get the feeling there’s a lot of information to exchange on both sides.”</p><p>Annabeth nodded, and not sure what else to do because this has definitely never happened in the history of the universe, the entire group began to walk inside. There was only a group of seven that had exited the ship, so it wasn’t too big of a crowd. Annabeth led Chiron and Malcolm behind the rest of the group towards the control room. Percy kept enough distance that Annabeth wouldn’t get overwhelmed or embarrassed.</p><p>When the group did get to the room, they pretty much just all stood around in a circle at the hologram. Percy tried to get Annabeth to sit, but she refused, gently slapping his hands away as he continued to pressure her to sit down.</p><p>“<em>Stop</em>,” she hissed, shoving his hands away again.</p><p>“You need to sit,” he told her.</p><p>“I’m fine.”</p><p>“You just ran down the halls of this ship,” he whispered so only she could hear, trying to push her into a seat again. “You need to sit.”</p><p>“Just because my uterus is occupied doesn’t mean that–”</p><p>She never got to finish the sentence because Jason started talking, distracting Percy long enough to push him away. Chiron and Malcolm had definitely noticed their bickering but chose to stay silent and just listen to Jason.</p><p>“So… There’s another ship here now.”</p><p>Someone Annabeth didn’t recognize snorted and said, “No duh.”</p><p>Jason looked mildly offended but continued anyways. “I suppose I should ask… why?”</p><p>“We wouldn’t even know where to begin,” Malcolm said.</p><p>“Let’s just let one person explain things from the beginning, then,” Annabeth proposed. “It’s probably the easiest way to get all the information.”</p><p>With that, people around the room nodded, and Chiron stepped forwards, being the leader of the second mission. “A few months after you left, NASA began looking for a second voyage. They had built another ship and kept it quiet until the first one launched; they wanted to make sure your group got up safely before sending another one.”</p><p>“They chose another group of one-hundred,” Malcolm pitched in. “With another seven people as the essential personnel.”</p><p>“Yes,” Chiron continued. “We launched a few months after we found out, and then went into cryosleep for the same amount of time as you did. We ended up waking many years too early because of damage to the ship, and–”</p><p>“So there <em>was</em> something that damaged the ship,” Leo said. “The same thing happened to us. It must’ve been an undetected sort of asteroid belt that we both ran into on the way to Centaurus A.”</p><p>“That’s what it seemed like,” Chiron confirmed. “However, we couldn’t fix it, so we had to search for a spot to land and assuming the asteroids were in approximately the same position you ran into it, we woke in the same general region. That’s how we found this planet.”</p><p>“We got quite the surprise when we went for a landing and saw the same ship that launched right before our eyes a few million years ago,” Malcolm said. “We figured it had to be your group since, I mean, what else could’ve it been? It was within your trajectory, and we were so badly damaged that it was safe to assume the same happened to you, forcing you to land.”</p><p>“That’s how we found ourselves here,” Chiron concluded. “We wanted to wait until it wasn’t so dark to prevent appearing as a threat.”</p><p>“No offense, but you definitely appeared as a threat regardless,” Reyna said. “We got a message from Earth, and it sounded as though another ship launched after us, but we couldn’t have been sure.”</p><p>“We’re sure now, though,” Piper joked. “We’re all one happy mess.”</p><p>“You’ve received a message from Earth?” someone dressed way too fancily for a mission in space questioned. “What did it say?”</p><p>Percy made a strangled sound. “Nothing good.”</p><p>“What does that mean?”</p><p>Annabeth continued for Percy. “We sent a message explaining our situation. We got one back from the current leader of NASA. Much more time has passed than it feels like, so Earth has changed for the worse by now.”</p><p>“I’m not following,” Malcolm said.</p><p>“A nuclear war,” she clarified. “World War III.”</p><p>“You’re kidding,” he said.</p><p>“Unfortunately not,” Percy said. “They aren’t going to be sending held. Even if they did, we’d be long gone unless we went back into cryosleep, which we aren’t sure will work anymore now that the ship’s damaged.”</p><p>“Basically, we’re stuck here,” Annabeth added. “We can’t get back up.”</p><p>“Says who?” the same fancy girl questioned. The girl, Annabeth noticed, was Asian with the most flawless skin she had ever seen. Her nails were even done, which Annabeth thought was highly inappropriate given the circumstances. They had so obviously been done recently.</p><p>“Says me, and literally every other person who’s had a basic understanding in aerospace engineering?” Annabeth scoffed. This girl was really rubbing her the wrong way. “May I ask who you are?”</p><p>“Drew Tanaka,” she replied, a sickly-sweet smile plastered on her face. “Now you?”</p><p>“I’m sure you know who I am,” Annabeth said, much less sweet than Drew. She turned her attention to Chiron. “If we ever make it back up, which is doubtful, it’ll be in a very long time. Until then, we’re all stuck here.”</p><p>“What have you guys been doing here?” Malcolm inquired. “If you can’t make it back up, you had to have been doing something.”</p><p>“Maybe not,” Drew added, nodding to Annabeth. “That one there got knocked up.”</p><p>“That’s a bizarre way of putting it,” Annabeth said, offended.</p><p>“I’m just pointing out the obvious, sweetie.”</p><p>Annabeth already despised that lady. Annabeth figured she must’ve been wicked smart, which is why she was even here, but her personality? <em>Ew</em>.</p><p>Percy brushed Annabeth’s back comfortingly. Drew, Annabeth noticed, looked surprised as she figured out just who the baby daddy was. “We’ve been building. Odds are, we won’t make it out of here in our lifespan, so we have to just get used to here. There’s an electric dome to protect us from these swarms of bugs we found.” Percy hesitated. “Speaking of that, we should probably turn that back on.”</p><p>“Already done,” Leo said with a salute of his hand.</p><p>“Anyways, yeah. We’re still in the process of building and exploring. We’ve been on quite a few expeditions around, and now we’re looking for fertile land to begin growing our own food.”</p><p>“That’s a smart idea,” Drew said. “I’m sure you came up with that?”</p><p>“We all did,” Percy confirmed, not even batting an eye at her.</p><p>Chiron cleared his throat. “Well, it looks like you’ve got help now. We can send our members out to assist with the crops and exploration.”</p><p>“Our members,” Malcolm groaned. “They’re going to get quite the surprise when they wake up.”</p><p>“Ours too,” Frank said, speaking up for the first time. “They aren’t in cryosleep anymore, but they’re going to be mind blown when everyone reports for duty today only to discover twice the crew.”</p><p>“This is all happening insanely fast,” Will spoke. “You landed half an hour ago and now we’re already planning to unite.”</p><p>“There’s not much else we can do,” Annabeth pointed out.</p><p>“Oh, I know. Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing, but it’s just all happening much quicker than one would think.”</p><p>Chiron chuckled. “There’s no use discussing the inevitable. What’s happened is already done. We’re here to stay, so we might as well be put to good use.”</p><p>“I agree,” Jason said, all high and mighty.</p><p>Annabeth wringed her hands together. “I suppose we should get to work then.”</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>1 Month Later</strong>
</p><p>Annabeth stood directly in front of the barrier, watching it flicker on and off. It had been doing that for about a month, but it only got worse as time went on. It was quite apparent that it was, in fact, not being taken care off, despite what Percy tried to convince her of.</p><p>She had run off from Percy once he turned his back to talk to Leo just to analyze the wall because it was a serious problem that she was severely angered by. Leo should’ve told her what was going on, but he chose not to, and she suspected that little detail had a lot to do with Percy. She had her suspicions from the beginning, but it was plain as day by that point and she was pissed off that they were trying to keep her out of it, since she was literally one of the leaders of the camp.</p><p>Not to mention, she found out that Percy was lying to her a few hours ago.</p><p>While she was alone with Jason, he had let it slip that the expedition Percy was going to leaving for in a few hours wasn’t actually to go explore the coast of the landmass they were on. No, because apparently it was to figure out what was causing the barrier to flicker right in front of her face.</p><p>It was a much bigger problem than it the rest of the crew were making it out to be. Especially if they were sending a team out to try and find why the power in the ship and the protective barrier kept going out. She didn’t really know all of the details, but she knew enough to know that Percy was straight up lying to her face whenever she brought it up.</p><p>Annabeth hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Percy alone since she’d found out, so she was trying really hard to not bring it up or show outright irritation with him. She thinks she was doing a pretty adequate job, if she’s being honest with herself. (“Do you want some of my dessert?” <em>“Fuck off.”</em>)</p><p>Okay. Maybe not.</p><p>In the end though, she did manage to keep her frustrations under check until she got a chance alone with him, which would probably be any second once he realized that she ran off from him.</p><p>As she waited to hear the footsteps behind her, she kept just watching the fence in front of her shine unsteadily. It was an aesthetically pleasing sight actually, but also could mean their doom if it didn’t end soon.</p><p>She bit her lip, trying to think of what could’ve been causing the problems. It was a pretty strong interference if it was cutting off the power to everything they had, so it was going to need–</p><p>Annabeth grunted, her hand flying to the base of her stomach as sparks of pain flared up.</p><p>That was another thing that had started happening. Over the last month, she had been getting… well, she didn’t want to call them <em>contractions</em>, but that’s unquestionably what they felt like. She managed to keep them to herself most of the time, especially from Percy, but they were just getting worse and worse as time went on. It really didn’t help her stress levels to be lying awake at night, stifling her cries because she didn’t want to wake her boyfriend.</p><p>Will had told her when they first started that it was just her uterus expanding, but it hadn’t even hurt this bad back then, so she’s starting to question his diagnosis. Whatever it was though, she was doing well enough to maintain her composure, so she figured it wasn’t too big of a deal. Even if it was though, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything because they were already so controlling as it was. Besides, she didn’t think it was too serious because she knew it happened to people sometimes. They get fake contractions, and there’s really nothing to do when that happens except breathe through it.</p><p>She’s fine, she thinks.</p><p>A stick cracked behind her and she stood up straight, not turning around to greet him. She could tell he expected her to talk first, but she didn’t, so he chose to instead.</p><p>“What’re you doing out here?”</p><p>“Watching the barrier,” she answered shortly.</p><p>“I can see that… why are you watching the barrier?” He sounded cautious, and then she knew without a doubt that he had been trying to hide something.</p><p>“Because it’s not fixed.”</p><p>“Leo’s taking care–”</p><p>It was then that Annabeth swung around, glaring at him. “So I’ve been told.”</p><p>Percy rubbed his neck. “Well, yeah, because that’s what’s happening.”</p><p>“Except it’s not. You’re leaving in a few hours to go figure out why it’s flickering at all, which means it’s definitely not under control.”</p><p>Percy froze. “Who told you that?”</p><p>“So it’s true?”</p><p>“I didn’t say it was.”</p><p>“We both know it is.” Annabeth shifted her feet and crossed her arms, ignoring the sparks of pain that shot up again. “Now may I ask why you’ve been lying to me?”</p><p>“Wait a minute,” Percy started, holding up a finger. “You don’t get to do this.”</p><p>“Ask for the truth from someone I thought would have the decency to do in the first place? I think I do, actually.”</p><p>“Annabeth–”</p><p>“How bad is it really?”</p><p>Percy didn’t answer. His eyes darted down for less than a second, but she caught it and it fueled her on.</p><p>“<em>Well?</em>”</p><p>“What did Jason tell you?”</p><p>“It doesn’t matter!” Annabeth ran her fingers through her curls, laughing though she was not amused in the slightest. “I don’t know what was going on inside your head, but it was <em>not</em> okay to deceive me!”</p><p>“There’s too much going on for you to handle,” he tried to explain.</p><p>“That wasn’t for you to decide!” She took a deep breath, dropping her hand to her stomach. Percy glanced down and his eyebrows scrunched together. “Where are you <em>actually</em> going?”</p><p>Percy stuttered for a few seconds before just giving in. “Something interfering with our signals and Leo suspects it’s something to do with some physical structures. We’re going to check it out.”</p><p>“So you’re telling me that you knew there was much more to this problem and you didn’t tell me?” Annabeth said, seething.</p><p>Silence again.<br/><br/>“<em>Answer</em> me!”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>She fell into hysterics. “You don’t get to do that! I’ve been asking about this since day one, and you promised me there was nothing going on!”</p><p>“I meant to tell you!”</p><p>“Oh yeah? When? Because I was literally the first person to notice it and when I brought it up the next day, you told me to drop it.”</p><p>“I did that because I wanted to know what was really going on before I worried you with it,” he said, rubbing his face tiredly. “Annabeth–”</p><p>“I was worried from the start!”</p><p>“I didn’t want to make you any more stressed than you already are!”</p><p>“I’m stressed <em>now</em>!”</p><p>“You don’t get it.”</p><p>“Oh, believe me. I understand exactly what you’re saying. You thought that just because I’m pregnant, I couldn’t handle the harsh reality.” She grimaced because the pain started up again, and it hurt more than it ever had before. “Guess what, Percy? We’re on another <em>planet</em>! There is no hiding the scary because everything about this is fucking terrifying!”</p><p>“I <em>couldn’t</em> tell you!” he argued, really raising his voice now. “I was waiting until I had all the facts, and that part’s true! I was going to explain things, but then you started feeling sick when I was gone. Will told me that you were getting so stressed that it was affecting your pregnancy, so I couldn’t lay this on you!”</p><p>“That is <em>not</em> what he said!”</p><p>“It is, actually. He just didn’t tell you that because you weren’t supposed to know, except you couldn’t just <em>leave it alone</em>.”</p><p>“Leave it alone?” Annabeth growled. “Why would I <em>ever ‘</em>leave this alone?’ You were lying to me! There is no ‘I was protecting you!’ What you did was straight up lying!”</p><p>“What did you expect me to do?!” Percy was really fighting back now, and Annabeth knew it wouldn’t be long before someone appeared to check on them.</p><p>“Tell me the truth! You don’t get to hide things from me because I’m pregnant!”</p><p>“That’s not what–”</p><p>“No, that’s exactly what you did, and you know it.” Annabeth took a step backwards, and she was dangerously close to the sparking border. “You were planning on keeping this from me forever, but I’m here for a reason! I’m not here to play your <em>wife</em>, or your <em>baby momma</em>. I’m here because I studied my ass off, because I’m an <em>astrophysicist</em>.” Another step backwards.</p><p>“You have no idea how fragile you are right now.”</p><p>“<em>Fragile?</em>”</p><p>“Yes, fragile! I get that you don’t want to hear it, but you’re seven months pregnant! You don’t get to wander around and handle everything anymore. You said yourself that we’re on another planet and it’s terrifying! We don’t know anything about this planet or the effects it could have on a growing fetus! You are putting yourself in incredible risk just by <em>having</em> a baby, and I’m not willing to exemplify that just because you feel left out, and you shouldn’t be willing to either!”</p><p>“You should have told me.” Another lick of pain inside her.</p><p>“Every single thing you put on your plate puts you one step closer to an early labor, or something <em>much</em>worse,” he warned, voice unnervingly calm. “Step away from the border.”</p><p>“Get away from me.” Her breathing turned uneven.</p><p>“No. What we’re going to do is step away from the border.”</p><p>“Back off.” Her entire body was on fire.</p><p>“Annabeth.” His voice was strong, steady, a warning. “Come here. <em>Now</em>.”</p><p>Annabeth looked him in the eyes, and then she was falling to the ground, her vision blurring as the pain hit its peak. Percy was rushing towards her, pulling her away from the electric fence she was inches away from hitting, and then she was on the floor, Percy hovering over her. It was oddly reminiscent of the past.</p><p>She couldn’t breathe, and it was so much worse than she remembered it being. This– it couldn’t be as simple as growing pains, because it was taking over her entire body, wiping her mind of any thoughts except <em>make it stop</em>.</p><p>Percy was nudging her cheek gently and shaking her shoulder, asking her if she was okay, but she couldn’t answer him.</p><p>Percy lifted her onto his lap, pressing two fingers to her neck to feel for her pulse, which was so rapid she felt like she might explode.</p><p>“Are you okay?” he asked, frantic. “Where does it hurt?”</p><p>All she could do was shake her head no. Something was wrong.</p><p>Then Percy was lifting her off the ground and calling someone over, and the next thing she knew, she was back in the infirmary bed, Will squeezing a cool gel onto her stomach and pressing a wand to her. Will looked for the baby and the heartbeat, and he eventually found it, but like Annabeth’s, its heart was beating way too fast.</p><p>“What happened?” Will asked Percy, rushing around the room for gloves.</p><p>“She was upset, and we started arguing, but then she just collapsed to the ground–” Percy cut off, watching Annabeth cry out in pain. “What’s going on?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” he admitted. “It looks like its contractions. My best guess would be she got overwhelmed. I told you to watch out for stress.”</p><p>Percy’s mouth dropped open, but he didn’t know what he was going to say because Annabeth spoke.</p><p>“What’s happening?” she sobbed.</p><p>“I know it hurts, but it’s just the stress running its course,” Will assured. “You’re going to be fine.” Will turned around to grab a mask, and then he pressed it to Annabeth’s face, forcing her to breathe in the gas that she presumed to be oxygen. “I’m going to put you to sleep for a little bit, so you don’t have to handle the pain, okay?”</p><p>Annabeth didn’t really have a choice because the gas was already making her groggy, and she was slipping into a painless sleep. She felt Percy slip his hand into hers, squeezing reassuringly, and then her vision went black.</p><hr/><p>When Annabeth woke up, she was notably in less pain and tucked under a soft blanket, an oxygen mask over her face. The room was dark and empty, or so she thought until a gentle voice rang out in the room.</p><p>“You awake?”</p><p>Annabeth turned her head towards Percy, finding him sitting in a chair beside her. Her first thought was, “How long has it been?”</p><p>“About four hours,” he said. “You took a nice long nap.”</p><p>Annabeth exhaled, confused. Her mind was still laced with sleep. “You’re still here?”</p><p>“Of course I’m still here,” he said, voice soft. “Where else would I be?”</p><p>“You were going on the expedition.”</p><p>“I wasn’t going to leave with you like this,” he told her. “They left a few hours ago.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“You had me worried for a minute there.”</p><p>“Me too,” she said.</p><p>“Is that what it was like the last time?”</p><p>Annabeth blinked, thinking. “Yeah. This one hurt a little more, but it was more or less the same.”</p><p>“I hadn’t known that it was that bad.”</p><p>“It’s just cramps. I’m okay.”</p><p>“You weren’t okay,” he said. “Seeing that with my own two eyes really scared me. You shouldn’t be hurting that much.”</p><p>“It’s been happening a while. I can handle it.”</p><p>“I figured it had been happening a while. You don’t just collapse like that out of nowhere.”</p><p>“I didn’t want to bother you with it.”</p><p>“You’re never bothering me with something like that, Annabeth. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”</p><p>“I am,” she tried to comfort. “I’m right here and I’m okay.”</p><p>Percy sighed. “You’re not okay. Will tried to explain everything to me, and it’s not good. Getting a few cramps is normal, but not to the extent that you’re getting them. The stress you’re feeling is making them dangerous for you and the baby.”</p><p>“Will said that?”</p><p>“When it happened this time, we were arguing. I know it’s the last thing you want to hear right now, but you can’t handle everything that’s going on. You have to slow down.”</p><p>“Percy–”</p><p>“What was happening the last time this happened?”</p><p>“You were on the expedition, and I–”</p><p>“You were stressed,” he corrected. “This time?”</p><p>“We were talking.”</p><p>“The cramps started to get worse once you found out about the real reason behind the expedition, right? Once we started fighting, that’s when it hit its worst?”</p><p>Annabeth’s face dropped. <em>Oh</em>.</p><p>“It’s not that I wanted to keep everything from you, but I knew it wasn’t safe for you. Before, Will had told you that the reason you were in pain was the baby was growing, and it’s true, but he also knew that it was because the amounts of stress you were putting your body under.”</p><p>A silence.</p><p>“You can’t keep doing this, Annabeth. You have to start taking it easy now.”</p><p>Her voice cracked. “I can’t–”</p><p>“You can,” he said. “I’ll be here with you for the next few days until the expedition comes back, and hopefully I can stay with you after that too.” Percy stood to sit next to her on the bed instead. “If you don’t slow down, you risk going into an early labor, or bleeding. You were actually already spotting earlier, so we’ll have to keep an eye on that too.”</p><p>“An early labor?”</p><p>Percy nodded. “You’re small, and we’re so far from home on a planet we know nothing about, and you are under so much pressure. Everyone’s watching your every move, and your body is trying to tell you that it can’t take it anymore. You need to listen.”</p><p>Annabeth started to tear up. If she had known she was putting her own baby in danger, then she would’ve slowed down. She didn’t know, and that’s what she tells him, hot tears rolling down her face.</p><p>“I didn’t know,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”</p><p>And then Percy is pulling her in close, wrapping her arms around her protectively because he loved her so much, and he couldn’t stand to watch something every go wrong. He needed her, and he needed the baby, and he needed to protect his family. “You’re okay,” he consoled, running his hand up and down her back. “You’re okay.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” she repeated, hiccupping as tears ran down faster. “I didn’t mean to.”</p><p>“I know you didn’t,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I know you just want to help, but you need to let us handle this, okay?”</p><p>“Okay,” she cried, sniffling and wiping at her face. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Hey,” he said, pulling away to look her in the eyes. Even in the dark of the room, he could see the sparkle of her eyes that he had fallen in love with so long ago. “I love you. You know that right?”</p><p>Annabeth’s lip quivered as she nodded.</p><p>“Don’t cry,” he soothed. “I love you.”</p><p>“You already said that,” she managed with a wet laugh.</p><p>“And I’ll keep saying it until you smile,” he said, pressing his lips to hers for a second. “Love you.”</p><p>“I love you too,” she said, letting her head fall back to his chest.</p><p>“I think I know something that’ll make you smile,” he said, his hands not stopping their ministrations on her back. “While Will was doing the ultrasound, he accidentally told me if we were having a boy or girl.”</p><p>“He– he did?” she asked. Her tears were slowing down, but she was still hiccupping every few seconds.</p><p>“He did. Do you want me to tell you?”</p><p>Annabeth hummed in affirmation.</p><p>“He said we’re having a little girl.”</p><p>“Really?” she asked in wonder.</p><p>“Mhm.”</p><p>“You knew it was a girl.”</p><p>“I had a feeling,” he said modestly. “But now we know. Does that make you happy?”</p><p>“Yes,” she said, wiping at her face. “I always wanted a girl.”</p><p>“You did?”</p><p>“I did.” Annabeth took a shaky breath. “Sophia Jackson.”</p><p>“Sophia Jackson,” he repeated, kissing behind her ear. “I like it.”</p><p>“I like you.”</p><p>“And I <em>love</em> you,” he breathed into her neck. “I’m still waiting for you to smile.”</p><p>“I’m smiling on the inside.”</p><p>“That doesn’t count, silly.” Percy tickled her side. “I love you.”</p><p>Annabeth squirmed, but her lips threatened to curl upwards.</p><p>“Can I tell you a secret?”</p><p>“If you wish,” she said, feigning indifference.</p><p>“I love you.”</p><p>Annabeth’s lips did break into the smallest hint of a smile. She doesn’t know what she did to deserve this boy. She had just collapsed in pain, and he was just so concerned for her, and she doesn’t know how she didn’t see it before. He didn’t even try to say I told you so– he just held her close and told her that she would be okay. That’s all she could ever hope for.</p><p>“I love you too.”</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>2 Weeks Later</strong>
</p><p>A week after everything went down, and Percy was already back on the missions. He had just a few days ago, and Annabeth found herself in the control room, looking over plans for the camp they’d set up, quietly sulking over his decision to leave only a week later. In his defense though, he actually did need to leave because Leo thought they figured out what the problem was.</p><p>Percy mentioned something to her about underground caves messing with the signals… maybe something about metals laying down there? Annabeth didn’t really know much because true to his words, Percy tried to keep her out of that specific area. She hadn’t heard from him in days now.</p><p>Annabeth sat at the table, only a few other people in the room with her, each of them minding their own business. She had a pencil in her hand, and she was just jotting down any ideas she had and the things she had to do, even going as far as to sketch out a few buildings that probably weren’t any good considering she wasn’t an architect.</p><p>She was so caught up that she didn’t notice Malcolm and Chiron walk into the room until they were behind her, Malcolm whispering in her ear.</p><p>“What’re you doing?” he hissed, and Annabeth nearly jumped out of her skin. She also almost sent the pencil flying through his skull a second later, but she settled for a sharp knock to his skull.</p><p>“I’m trying to work,” she said with the raise of an eyebrow, dropping her pencil to the table. “That was mean.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” he dismissed while pulling out a chair next to her and sitting down. Chiron settled for standing nearby. “Just wanted to talk.”</p><p>“About?”</p><p>“We haven’t really gotten a chance to talk ever since we got here. Just catchin’ up.”</p><p>Annabeth immediately knew that this was going to end up with her mortified. “Oh boy. What do you want?”</p><p>“Chiron and I,” Malcolm said, pointing back and forth between them. “Felt it was necessary to tease you about a certain someone.”</p><p>“Now, Malcolm,” Chiron said, gentle. “I’m here simply to catch up, not cause severe embarrassment.”</p><p>“Regardless,” Malcolm continued. “I’ve noticed that you’re pregnant. Quite far along, actually.” Malcolm paused and a shit-eating grin spread across his face. “How’d that happen?”</p><p>“I’m going to punch you.”</p><p>“I’m just asking,” he clarified, raising his hands in surrender. “Especially how that happened with Percy.”</p><p>Chiron stifled a chuckle, and now she was really ready to collapse of pure embarrassment because he was her mentor, and practically a father to her. She couldn’t discuss her sex life in front of him!</p><p>“You’re a scientist, Malcolm,” Annabeth said, settling to tease him back. “I’m surprised you don’t know the process, you thirty-year old virgin.”</p><p>“I’m not a– nevermind. Point is that I never saw it coming.”</p><p>“You and me both.”</p><p>“You didn’t plan to get pregnant?”</p><p>“Why would I plan this?” Annabeth smirked. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy, but I wouldn’t voluntarily decide to have a baby right now.”</p><p>“It’s a good thing,” Chiron reassured. “I always saw it coming.”</p><p>Annabeth squeaked, her face flushing red. “What?”</p><p>“When you two were working for me, you fought all the time, but I’ve lived a long life. You two had a connection, and it’s nice to see you guys finally together.”</p><p>“It took you long enough,” Malcolm agreed. “I knew all along.”</p><p>“That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one,” she told Malcolm. “You hated Percy right alongside with me.”</p><p>“You’re right,” he said, and Annabeth snorted. “But I have to be nice to the both of you now because I get the feeling he will throw hands for you.”</p><p>“He doesn’t get to because you’ve known me longer. Seniority.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s awesome!” Malcolm rubbed his hands together. “You’re gonna get so bullied by me the second you have a kid.”</p><p>“Why wait until then?” Annabeth shrugged. “Might as well start right now. Hell, should’ve started yesterday.”</p><p>“No can do. It’s against my morals to harass a pregnant lady.”</p><p>“Not you too.”</p><p>“It’s just wrong,” Malcolm said. “I have a vendetta against you, not your kid.”</p><p>“Chiron,” Annabeth said. “Why did you bring him?”</p><p>“I thought you’d enjoy seeing your old friend, but I’m sure we can return him back to Earth.”</p><p>“I hope you have his receipt,” Annabeth laughed. “You threaten my daughter, Pace, I threaten you.”</p><p>Malcolm looked playfully insulted, but then he immediately perked up. “It’s a girl?”</p><p>“It is,” she said, winking at him. “Found out two weeks ago.”</p><p>“And you didn’t tell me?”</p><p>“It didn’t even cross my mind.”</p><p>“I’m just so… disappointed,” Malcolm joked. “The only way to make it up is to let me pick the name.”</p><p>“No can do.”</p><p>“Why? Would Percy be jealous?”</p><p>“He’s not going to be jealous over you.”</p><p>Chiron made a sound of disagreement, and both her and Malcolm turned to look at him. “He’s been getting jealous over the two of you longer than you’d realize.”</p><p>“What? No he hasn’t,” Annabeth argued. “He knows Malcolm’s practically my brother– we even look the same. We’re just best friends.”</p><p>“Dear, I’ve been watching you two since Mission Control. He may not be jealous of your romantic relationship because it’s clearly nonexistent, but he does get jealous of the bond you two have.”</p><p>“Has he actually?” Malcolm said in wonder. “That could be pretty useful for me.”</p><p>“Give Percy a break,” Chiron scolded, but he looked highly amused. “Back when you ‘hated’ each other, he would always try to get your attention, Annabeth. The only way that worked was the fake feud you two had going.”</p><p>“I don’t believe that for a second.” Annabeth bit her lip.</p><p>“I’m surprised you’ve never noticed it. I thought it was rather obvious.”</p><p>“Maybe you’re just old and wise,” she offered, leaning back in her chair. “You know everything.”</p><p>“Perhaps. Even recently, I’ve seen Percy look pretty jealous of you two. It’s endearing, actually.”</p><p>“I’m starting to believe you’re just lying. He doesn’t get jealous.”</p><p>“He does,” Chiron said, nodding his head. “He won’t say anything because he gets that you have your own friends, but he does. He loves you dearly.”</p><p>“That’s… good, I guess.”</p><p>“You sound positively thrilled,” Malcolm deadpanned. “What’s going to happen when you have someone else’s kid, then?”</p><p>“Wha– why would I have someone else’s kid?”</p><p>“At some point, you have to mix it up, you know? Expand the gene pool…”</p><p>“If you think I’m having another, you’re severely mistaken.” Annabeth scratched her neck languidly. “I don’t see how I would have to have someone else’s kid still. Let’s say each couple has two kids, and then their kids have two kids, and so on. It’s an exponential growth type of situation, so there’s no need for me to go around getting knocked up by every guy.”</p><p>“Huh.” Malcolm looked like he’d never even considered that possibility. “I never thought of it like that.”</p><p>“Clearly.” Annabeth eyed him. “I–”</p><p>Someone tapped Annabeth lightly on her left shoulder, and when she looked, it was Jason. His face looked full of sorrow and sympathy, and her stomach dropped.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“Can you come with me?” Jason glanced at Chiron and Malcolm, and it was clear he didn’t want to say whatever it was in front of an audience. “It’s important.”</p><p>Annabeth nodded, telling him, “Okay.” She stood up slowly, and Jason ended up steadying her even though she really didn’t need it. She was too distracted to give either of her friends a goodbye, because Jason looked extremely upset and was already guiding her away.</p><p>Once they were out of the room and he was leading her down the hall with a comforting hand pressed to her back, she asked him again.</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I can’t explain it,” he said. “It’ll be easier to understand once we get there.</p><p>“Get where?”</p><p>“Leo’s bunker. He was tinkering around with some things when a call came in.” He hesitated, trying to decide if he wanted to tell her now. He decided he should probably prepare her. “It was from the mission that left a few days ago.”</p><p>Annabeth’s throat tightened, and Jason turned a corner and held open the door to Leo’s bunker, holding it for her to walk past. “What did it say?”</p><p>“Leo and I will explain,” Jason said, and then he opened another door to reveal Leo sitting over a radio, dressed in overalls and dusted with soot. “Let’s just sit you down first.”</p><p>“You’re scaring me,” Annabeth said, her voice wavering as she sat in the chair next to Leo. “What did it say?”</p><p>That’s when Jason just exhaled and looked to Leo for help. Leo spoke up for him.</p><p>“They discovered some things while in the cave.”</p><p>“What things?”</p><p>“We don’t know what they are. The group is describing them as some type of savage deer-type animal. It– it attacked the group and they all got separated.” Leo watched her face carefully, looking for any signs of panic or shock. “Percy had the radio, and he managed to get away from the animal, but not before he got attacked. He’s alive, but– it’s not looking good, Annabeth.”</p><p>Annabeth tried to keep her outward composure, but she was falling apart inside. She didn’t know what she was supposed to ask or do. There wasn’t anything she could do because she wasn’t with him.</p><p>“He wants to talk to you.”</p><p>That did bring Annabeth crashing down into a mess of cries because he wanted to talk to her. Percy wouldn’t want to talk to her about this and scare her unless it was serious. Unless he thought that he might not get a chance to talk to her again because he was so badly hurt. She knew that if he was specifically asking for her, it was not good.</p><p>“No,” she declared, clenching her fist until her nails pierced her own skin. “I’m not going to sit here and talk to him when you could be doing something about it!”</p><p>“We’re sending out a group to bring them back, and this time they’ll be more equipped and aware of the animals, but Annabeth, it’s not looking good at this point. You want to talk to him.”</p><p>“How did they even get attacked in the first place?” she asked, seething. “They never leave without the proper weapons, and they could’ve easily fought off the animal!”</p><p>“They had the tasers and electric equipment,” Leo started softly. “And we’ve been having issues with the electricity all around, so it stopped working in that moment, and they couldn’t fight it off.”</p><p>“That shouldn’t have happened in the first place!”</p><p>“I understand, and we’re going to be more prepared when the next group leaves, but right now, all you need to do is get on the radio with Percy, okay? He’s waiting.”</p><p>Annabeth clenched her teeth, and all she could see was red, because she knew how this was going to play out. He wouldn’t call her unless he thought he was going to die, and she knew that for a fact. She didn’t want to talk to him, but she didn’t have any other choice, so she did her best to compose herself, and then Jason and Leo were exiting the room, giving her privacy. Once she got her breathing under a bit more control, she was sliding the button on to speak to him.</p><p>“Percy?”</p><p>A crackle, and then, “<em>Hey.</em>” Her heart clenched because she could hear the pure pain in his voice. “<em>I was wondering if you were going to show up</em>.”</p><p>Annabeth sobbed, a hand moving to cover her mouth. “What happened?”</p><p>“<em>Something attacked</em>,” he said. “<em>I’m okay</em>.”</p><p>“You wouldn’t have called if you were okay<em>.</em>” She sniffled, biting her lip to stifle her quiet cries. “Percy–”</p><p>“<em>Annabeth,</em>” he interrupted. “<em>You’re going to be fine</em>.”</p><p>Hearing him say that brought a whole new level of panic upon her. He couldn’t die or she doesn’t know what she would do. He just <em>couldn’t.</em></p><p>“<em>No</em>. Don’t say that.”</p><p>“<em>I’m really hurt, Beth</em>.” Percy shifted over the sound, and she heard him try and hide a grunt of pain. “<em>I don’t know what’s going to happen</em>.”</p><p>“Please.”</p><p>“<em>We’re deep in the caves, and we’re all split up. I don’t want to think the worst, but–”</em> The connection cut for a second before reappearing. “<em>Wanted to talk to you just in case.”</em></p><p>“Stop,” she cried. “Don’t even say that. I don’t want to hear it.”</p><p>“<em>–I know, but I really needed to hear your voice.</em>” His words were slurring together, and her brain screamed <em>blood loss</em>. “<em>I love you, you know?</em>”</p><p>“I know,” she said, her tears dripping into her mouth as she spoke. “But you have to hang on, okay? People are coming.”</p><p>“<em>They might not find us,” </em>he said. “<em>You’re going to have the baby soon, so just focus on that. Don’t get too sad, okay?”</em></p><p>“Stop it,” she whined. “Do you remember how it felt when it was me you were begging to hold on? That day in the forest?” Her voice caught in her throat. “Don’t do that to me. You know how awful it was, so please don’t do it to me.”</p><p>“<em>I don’t want to, but it’s hard. It hurts, and I’m really struggling to hold on. I don’t want to scare you, but you need to be ready for the reality.”</em></p><p>“Hold on just one more day.” Annabeth felt like she was going to get sick. “Promise me you’ll hold on until they find you.”</p><p>“<em>I promise I’ll try</em>,” he said, but Annabeth let out another sob because it wasn’t good enough. Trying wasn’t enough for her; he had to <em>do</em> it.</p><p>“You better be here to meet your daughter,” she demanded through the mess of snot and tears. “You need to be here because I can’t do this alone.”</p><p>“<em>You can do it,” </em>he comforted. “<em>You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met okay? You can do it.”</em></p><p>“I need you,” she tried, because his words felt too close to a goodbye she wasn’t willing to accept.</p><p>“<em>You’ll be okay without me,” </em>he said, and then she knew he was crying too through the way his breathing because irregularly. “<em>I have to go now</em>.”</p><p>“No, <em>Percy</em>, don’t you dare–”</p><p>“<em>I love you</em>,” he said. “<em>I love you two girls so much.</em>”</p><p>“Percy–”</p><p>The line clicked off, and she screamed, throwing the radio across the room where it landed on the floor among a pile of bolts and screws. Jason and Leo rushed in again at the commotion, and one of them wrapped their arms around her, but she didn’t want it because it wasn’t Percy. It was their fault they were in this mess because if they had fixed it, he would be safe here in her arms. The only thing that she could think was that he was gone, and she was alone, and he wasn’t going back.</p><p>The only thing she knew to do was sob and sob until she had no tears left to cry.</p><hr/><p>The next few days were agonizing for Annabeth Chase. People were rushing around the ship, and everyone’s attention was solely on getting the group of people back. The only person Annabeth cared about was Percy.</p><p>No one would tell her anything, so she spent all day every day lying in her bed she shared with Percy, pretending that none of this was happening at all. She kept pretending that he was right there beside her, and not lying somewhere in a cave alone and afraid because she couldn’t accept the idea that he might’ve really been gone this time.</p><p>She refused to accept it, so she didn’t move, and she didn’t eat until she absolutely had to. People brought her food, and she figured they must’ve thought she was being childish, refusing to even talk to anyone, but she gave up caring about what they thought. If no one would tell her anything or let her even try and help, there really wasn’t any point then.</p><p>She didn’t know when one day started and when another day ended. The lights were always off in her room, and she spent most of her time with her eyes closed anyways, trying to block out the harsh reality of the surrounding world. She had no idea how long she had been in her room without moving when Piper burst into the room, frantic.</p><p>“They found them,” Piper rushed, moving to Annabeth’s side to shake her, thinking she had been sleeping. “They found the group. Percy’s alive– they’re all alive. They’re being brought to the infirmary now.”</p><p>Annabeth blinked, and then she was up, her and Piper wandering down the halls of the ship in synch, moving floors to the infirmary and dodging the people that had lined up outside the sliding doors.</p><p>It was more crowded than Annabeth would’ve suspected, and she realized that there were a lot more people involved in trying to get their members back than she originally knew.</p><p>She shoved a few people aside without a second glance, and of course no one tried to stop her because they all knew who she was and what she wanted, so she entered through the infirmary doors, and there he was.</p><p>Percy was laying on the bed, with a few people working around him. He was covered in blood with three prominent slash marks going diagonally across his chest. His shirt was shredded, and his scalp was sticky with red. People were trying to attach tubes to him, and he looked completely unconscious.</p><p>When she looked around at the rest of the five people that had been in the group, they were all with cuts and bruises, but she noticed with a flinch that Percy had it the worst. Of course he had it the worst, because he was Percy, and he was too loyal for his own sake. He would put his life in danger if it meant everyone else lived, and she loved him for it except he had a girlfriend and a baby at home waiting for him and he couldn’t just <em>do</em> that.</p><p>Will did something, and then Percy was hissing in pain, his entire body convulsing, and the blood drops from her face. She must’ve let out a strangled sob because people turned to her, and then Will was yelling for someone to get her out, someone to stop her from watching Percy cry out in the most pain he’d been in throughout his entire life.</p><p>“Get Annabeth out of here!” Will yelled to another doctor, turning back to work on Percy and try to stop the bleeding. When no one moved, he yelled again. “Now!”</p><p>Someone she didn’t recognize approached her and tried to gently pry her from the room, whispering reassurances that she didn’t bother listening to because Percy was crying, and oh my god, she didn’t know what was happening, and why was he so much worse than everyone else?</p><p>Annabeth brushed the doctor’s hands off of her and tried to move forwards and get a closer look at Percy, and she gathered from the people surrounding her that she must’ve been crying, or screaming, but she didn’t even know because she was so focused on Percy and she’d never been more terrified in her life to see someone look so close to the brink of death.</p><p>Another person was embracing her, trying to turn her to look the opposite way, to look anywhere except at the person she so desperately needed to make sure was okay. They didn’t drag her away– they just stood trying to shield her vision, and she just let them, breaking down in their chest.</p><p>“You don’t need to see this, Annabeth,” someone murmured into her ear. <em>Chiron</em>, she realized with a start. “Let’s go somewhere else.”</p><p>“No,” she croaked, turning to look at Percy’s lifeless form in the bed, and then she cried out a hopeless, “Percy!”</p><p>Somehow, Percy must’ve heard her because his bloodshot eyes found hers, and as Chiron tried to console her and move her away in case something happened to Percy, he spoke through the oxygen mask.</p><p>“I’m okay,” he coughed, and she thinks droplets of blood rose. She’d never seen him look worse, and the open wounds covering his torso were staring her in the eyes, and the days it took to find them meant it was infected and putting him at even greater risk. He was quivering, and his voice was strained as if he had torn his vocal cords. “Go with Chiron, Annabeth.”</p><p>By that point, Annabeth didn’t have a choice because people were forcing her out of the room now, listening to Percy’s word, his command, his wishes. She was kicking and screaming, and then the door was shut behind her, the click of the lock plain as day in her ears.</p><p>She turned around and Chiron was there, holding her as the sobs racked her entire body, as her mind thought the worst. Time became nothing but a word, hours racing by while she had no semblance of control. People came and went, but she just stayed sitting down with Chiron. She’s not even sure when that had happened.</p><p>At some point, she must’ve also fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she was back in her own bed.</p><p>Her eyes blinked open, and her head was kind of pounding in her skull. Her eyes burned and she was sure they were red as well. Annabeth spent a few seconds trying to remember what had happened, and then it came rushing back to her.</p><p>“You’re awake,” someone noted. When she looked over, it was Chiron watching her. “You’ve been out for a while.”</p><p>She rubbed at her eyes. “What time is it?”</p><p>“It’s the next day.” Chiron made his way to her side. “You can go see him now, if you’d like.”</p><p>“He’s okay?”</p><p>“Percy is just fine,” Chiron said. “Let’s get you down there.”</p><p>Annabeth made her way back down to the infirmary, side by side with Chiron. When they got there, Chiron respectfully kept his distance, choosing to stand outside of the infirmary doors instead of actually going in. When she walked in, Will noticed and pointed wordlessly to a private room on the side.</p><p>She traced over the other few people in the group, all of whom looked perfectly healthy. She hoped that was the case with Percy too.</p><p>Annabeth pushed the door opened, and she found him lying on the bed with the lights off, seemingly asleep. She really wanted to wake him up because she needed to see with her own two eyes that he was okay, but she knew it was selfish, so she opted to turn around and shut the sliding door again, perfectly content just sitting in the dark for a bit until he woke up.</p><p>Just as the door clicked shut, a voice spoke out. “There you are,” he croaked, one eye cracked open. “Took you long enough to come see me.”</p><p>“I just woke up,” she managed through a wobbly voice.</p><p>“You’ve been sleeping for the past twelve hours.” He cracked a smile, and Annabeth knew he wasn’t actually upset. “Are you okay?”</p><p>Her lower lip quivered. “I should be asking you that.” Annabeth went to go stand by his bed, but he reached out to pull her closer so that she sat next to him instead. “I was so <em>scared</em>–” Her voice cracked at the end and she had to try really hard not to have a complete meltdown since she wasn’t even the one that was hurt.</p><p>“I know,” he said. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>Annabeth trailed her fingers down his gauze covered chest, and she saw the slight waver in his demeanor as he trembled in pain. “It really hurts,” she noted.</p><p>“Only a little,” he reassured, grabbing her hand and kissing it before running his thumb up and down soothingly. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry I did.”</p><p>“Why are you comforting me?” she trailed off with a sharp inhale. “You’re the one that’s hurt here and I’m the one that’s crying over it.”</p><p>“You’re pregnant, so you get a pass,” he joked. “Besides, you were always so independent before. Let me enjoy your warm cuddles while I still can.”</p><p>“Ass,” she laughed, looking over him again.</p><p>Up close, he looked even worse than she thought. His face was littered with microscopic cuts and his undereye circles were so dark that she could distinguish them in a room that was practically pitch black.</p><p>“How come you got the worst of it?” she asked.</p><p>“I– I couldn’t just let them get hurt. It was going after Frank, so I jumped in without even thinking.”</p><p>“<em>Percy</em>.”</p><p>“I know, but I had to.”</p><p>“What if something worse had happened?”</p><p>“It didn’t,” he said. “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”</p><p>“You’re in so much pain you feel like passing out,” she said. He was about to protest, but she shut that down really quick. “I can see it on your face.”</p><p>“I’ll be okay,” he said. Percy fell silent for a while, and she didn’t say anything either. She thought that he had fallen asleep until he spoke again. “Things are going to have to change.”</p><p>“Obviously. We can’t send people back out knowing that there are those– those creatures out there.”</p><p>“That’s not what I mean. I haven’t talked to anyone about this, but it’s probably best to limit outside interactions at this point, and I don’t just mean beyond the barrier. I don’t want you outside the ship as much anymore either, or at least not without me.”</p><p>“I don’t understand. You didn’t fix the problem while we were there?”</p><p>Percy looked like he wanted to bang his head against a wall. “There was nothing there except an early death. No giant hunks of metal, or things disturbing the wireless signals. It was clear.”</p><p>“What?” she said, frowning with worry.</p><p>“The good thing is we know it’s not the underground cave systems. The bad thing is we’re out of options.”</p><p>“What do you mean we’re out of options?”</p><p>“The trip was our last chance at fixing the power. At this point, we’ve run over every checklist there is, and we’ve come out blank on the other side. We just don’t know what this is anymore.”</p><p>“But it’s getting worse,” she argued. “Our weapons are failing, and our radios are barely connecting anymore.”</p><p>“I know. That’s why I don’t want you outside anymore.”</p><p>She looked at him. She really looked at him, and she noticed just how petrified he was by the whole situation. He’d been trying to hide it, but now he was telling her the true extent of the problem. He was really, truly scared of what was to come.</p><p>“You’re getting scared?” she asked as more of a statement.</p><p>“I don’t think it’s going to be fixed anymore. Leo’s telling me that he’ll figure it out, but even he’s at a loss. The borders– I get the feeling they’re going to fail sooner than we realize, and knowing what’s out there now? I don’t want you anywhere near the borders when they stop working and let whatever’s outside into our camp.”</p><p>This was the first time she was hearing any of this. She hadn’t known just how bad it was, and if even Percy was getting worried, then she knew they were all screwed unless they figured it out and fast.</p><p>“Those animals – do you think they’re going to make their way here?”</p><p>“They were tracking us, Annabeth. I can’t explain it, but it’s like they knew where we were. Something tells me that they’ll find their way here and when they do, we might be without any barrier of protection.”</p><p>“Percy–”</p><p>“Will you try to stay inside for right now? Please?”</p><p>“I will, but I don’t want you to go back outside either,” she whimpered.</p><p>“I plan on staying with you from now on. You’re getting closer to your due date, and with everything that’s just happened, I feel more comfortable with you by my side.”</p><p>“You won’t go back out?”</p><p>“No,” he finished. “I think I’m pretty done with the outside for a while.”</p><p>“Good.” Annabeth said. “Because you nearly gave me a heart attack.”</p><p>“That wouldn’t have been good,” he said, patting the space next to him. “I’m glad that didn’t happen.”</p><p>“Almost,” she warned, trying but failing to put humor in her voice. “I can’t lay next to you. You’re hurt.”</p><p>“I’m doing okay.” He tried to pull her with his good arm. “I’d feel a lot better if you’d lay with me. I think it’s perfectly acceptable considering we were both pretty worn out from this.”</p><p>“If I hurt you, just shove me off,” she told him, settling down and facing him so their noses were almost touching.</p><p>“I definitely won’t be shoving you off, but I’ll let you know,” he said, kissing her forehead.</p><p>“I’m glad you’re okay.”</p><p>“Me too,” he said, eyes fluttering shut.</p><p>In a tiny voice, Annabeth said, “I’m scared.”</p><p>Percy opened his eyes back up and it felt like he was staring into his soul. Every breath he took was labored, and it stung, but he tried not to let Annabeth see just how hurt he was. Of course, Annabeth knew because she knew Percy, but she chose not to point it out.</p><p>Percy had been her source of comfort for a long time now. He protected her and made sure she was okay, physically and mentally. He was her rock in an endless storm, so her blood ran cold when she heard his next words.</p><p>“Me too.”</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>2 Months Later</strong>
</p><p>As the months flew by, everything just became even more confusing. People went on some more expeditions in a desperate attempt to fix the power, and many came back hurt because, true to Percy’s words, the animals had somehow managed to make their way to the forest right outside their barrier.</p><p>The animals stared down anyone who was outside, and whenever people left the border, they had to fight off a few of them at a time, and if they were lucky, they could go by unnoticed, or at least that’s what one of the wildlife experts said. Annabeth severely doubted anything went unnoticed by these creatures– if you were alive, it’s because it wanted you alive.</p><p>Annabeth didn’t spend much time outdoors anymore. Percy hadn’t left on anymore expeditions, which definitely made her life easier, but he was also following her around at all hours of the day. She didn’t even go to the bathroom by herself anymore. Annabeth can’t say that she didn’t need it though, because she really did.</p><p>At nine months pregnant, she felt like a whale, though Will told her that she hadn’t gained much weight and still looked very much not pregnant from behind. Other people said the same thing, but she likes to think they were lying because she feels horrendous. Like a blue whale carrying quintuplets. Yeah, that sounds about right.</p><p>Percy, being the sweetheart that he is, was always littering her with compliments, telling her how beautiful she was all the time. It was literally the nicest thing ever, and she thinks she’s going to actually throw up if she has to listen to him say it one more time.</p><p>“There you are,” Percy said, sneaking up on her. “Somehow I thought I’d find you here, even though you’re definitely not supposed to be here.”</p><p>Oh, yeah. She was also standing outside and just watching the animals roam around. They were drooling and foaming at the mouth, but thankfully no one had developed rabies or any other type of weird autoimmune disease. They were also kind of eyeing her like a delectable snack, and she was eyeing them right back. She was trying to intimidate them because she didn’t have anything else to do with her life except wait to pop.</p><p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “I’m not anywhere I’m not supposed to be.”“Oh, so you’re not outside and also dangerously close to the fence, staring at the animal that attacked me two months ago?”</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p>“Oh, my bad.”</p><p>“It’s quite alright.”</p><p>Percy laughed, pushing her head forwards gently as he got closer. “I don’t like seeing you so close to the fence. You know that.”</p><p>“I haven’t even been outside in over a week,” she said. “Just getting some air.”</p><p>“You could’ve done that closer to the ship, and not out of sight of every person in this camp.”</p><p>“You’re overbearing.”</p><p>“So I’ve been told,” he said, trying to subtly drag her away from the fence. “You weren’t feeling great earlier, so you should probably go sit down.”</p><p>“I’m feeling better.”</p><p>“You’re nine months.”</p><p>“I have another two weeks,” she said with a wide grin. “Therefore, I shall continue to walk around.”</p><p>“Fine, but can we at least do it on the ship? This is making me nervous.” As if to prove his point, the barrier flickered right in front of their eyes, and it stayed off for a few seconds before turning back on. The animals she had been watching perked up and began to slowly trail closer to inspect it. Percy instinctually moved in front of Annabeth.</p><p>“Yeah,” she conceded. “Let’s go.”</p><p>Annabeth laced her hand in his and swang it back and forth between them as they walked through the grass. She kicked at the pebbles that were strewn between the soft green blades and Percy chuckled.</p><p>“You have energy today,” he noted.</p><p>“Do I not usually have energy?”</p><p>“Not this much. You’ve been very sleepy lately.”</p><p>“Why don’t you wake me up then?”</p><p>“I’m not going to wake you up if you’re sleeping,” he said, elbowing her side gently. “That’s just mean.”</p><p>“Aww, you care about me.”</p><p>“Of course,” he said. “Otherwise, I would’ve let you walk around all by yourself.”</p><p>“You big loser.”</p><p>“You’re awfully comfortable with your position in my life,” he told her.</p><p>“I says it as I sees it.”</p><p>Percy laughed again, pulling her into his side and squeezing. “You’re too cute.”</p><p>“I am?”</p><p>“Mh-hm. You’re super excited today.”</p><p>“Nah, I’m not,” she said, continuing to swing his hand in hers.</p><p>“You are,” he said. “I like seeing you like this. What’s different today?”</p><p>She shrugged, hopping onto the platform of the ship’s loading dock. “It just feels like a happy day.”</p><p>“Well, I’m glad,” he said, leading her up the ramp.</p><p>“Nothing can dampen my sunshine!”</p><p>“Now I think you might be running a fever.” Percy felt her forehead teasingly, and she just shoved his arm away.</p><p>“You’re a bully,” she said. “I–”</p><p>Just as they were about to cross the threshold to the ship, a loud crack burst out behind them and it continued. Annabeth whipped around to see what it was, and the barrier was flickering, the source of power popping dangerously. The power source buzzed a few more times before exploding, sending a giant boom through the land that almost knocked Annabeth to her feet.</p><p>The barrier blinked off and it didn’t turn back on. There was still the crackling as transmitters around the camp exploded into flames. Behind them, the ship’s lights flickered for a few seconds before shutting off completely, and the entire camp went silent. The only noise was the steady explosions of the poles controlling the barrier.</p><p>“What was that?” Annabeth asked, frantic.</p><p>Percy grabbed her arm and tightened his grip around it. “I don’t know.” When the barrier didn’t come back on, Percy went into autopilot. “Get inside,” he said, trying to force her to move backwards.</p><p>“Wait,” she dismissed, watching the borders. There were a few other people on the field looking at the area in bewilderment as everything died around them. “Do you hear something?”</p><p>“Hear something? The border isn’t turning on! You need to get inside now,” he said, trying to gently tug at her arm. “Annabeth, we need to go <em>now</em>.”</p><p>“I want to know what’s happening first.” Annabeth shook him off, listening to the sound that was fast approaching. “What is that?”</p><p>Percy clicked his teeth behind her, frustrated, but that frustration quickly turned to downright terror as one of the animals that was staring at them before ran straight through the green fields, tackling someone from the second group and biting down on their abdomen until piercing right through.</p><p>“Oh my god,” Annabeth said, her jaw dropping as screams broke out around them. More animals were running into the field, and the barrier wasn’t back on, so they were only going to keep coming. “Oh my <em>god</em>.”</p><p>“We need to go now!” Percy repeated, dragging her inside much more forcefully as another creature ran much closer to the two of them. Annabeth obliged, letting him pull her along but still looking back at everyone. She gasped, horrified, as another person got attacked.</p><p>“But they’re getting hurt!” she protested now, twisting in his grasp.</p><p>“I don’t care who they’re hurting as long as it’s not you!” he yelled back, shoving her inside and out of view of the field. “The door isn’t going to close without power, so you need to go to the room and stay in there!”</p><p>“I’m not going to just sit there!” she said as Percy dragged her along the corridors. People ran down the halls, some screaming, and it’s safe to assume everyone knew by that point.</p><p>“That’s exactly what you’re going to do,” he argued, rushing her towards their joint room. They got there and he threw the door open, pushing her inside. Annabeth thought he was going to go back out, and she was not about to have that.</p><p>“You are not going back!”</p><p>Instead, Percy shut the door behind him, turning the lock. “I won’t. I’m staying right here.”</p><p>Percy pressed his ear to the door, and then there were stamping sounds down the hall. “Shit. They’re inside now.”</p><p>It was all happening so fast and she found herself wondering how. She had literally just been standing outside, and then there were suddenly animals in the camp and attacking people, and she was now locked in a room with Percy without a clue as to what she was supposed to do because she knew nothing about the situation except to stay away.</p><p>There were a lot of distant screams, and Annabeth began trembling. This– how had it actually come to this. She felt like she was dreaming, and she hoped she was. Percy had told her months earlier that this would happen at some point, so maybe it was just a figment of her imagination, or her subconscious telling her that it needed to be fixed soon. But no, even she knew that this was real, and people were already hurt, if not dead, and they were screwed.</p><p>God, how had she ever actually thought that today was a good day? How could a good day turn into this?</p><p>Percy backed away from the door, running his hand over his face. She could sense his frustration, and she could tell that he direly wanted to go help.</p><p>“Please don’t leave me here,” she pleaded. She wasn’t even crying, which might’ve been the weirdest thing about this situation because she cried over everything recently. Maybe she was just beyond tears. But no. The weirdest thing would definitely be the hoof-beats that could be heard trampling through the metal floors of the ship.</p><p>He shook his head, glancing towards the door. “I’m not leaving you here alone.”</p><p>Percy sat down on the bed beside her, and he held her in the dark. They stayed quiet because they didn’t know what these animals were capable of. Annabeth lost track of time. Hours passed, but they felt more like minutes.</p><p>She was rocking in Percy’s arm, and there was a tightening in her belly that was beginning to form. Eventually, the sounds in the halls stopped and Annabeth figured that everyone must’ve gone into hiding to save themselves. The animals though– they never stopped.</p><p>They kept moving and moving, and Annabeth just couldn’t understand how they had ended up here. It was so quick, like the pull of a trigger, before everything was sent tumbling down. Everything was falling, and it had started falling that first night she heard everything shut off, but she had let herself be wrongfully pushed aside, and now they were here, stuck in a room without a clue as of how to handle this.</p><p>Percy was shaking around her, and she and Percy both jumped when someone knocked rapidly at their door. Neither of them made a move to open it until a voice spoke.</p><p>“Guys,” a guy whispered. “If you’re in there, please open the door before we’re attacked.”</p><p>Percy mouthed a ‘<em>Malcolm?</em>’ to her, and she nodded in confirmation. Percy went to open the door, and in tumbled Malcolm and Piper, breathing heavily. Percy shut and locked it immediately after.</p><p>“What’s going on?” Annabeth asked immediately, standing from the bed. “Where is everyone?”</p><p>“We don’t know.” Piper started coughing and tried to smother them with her hand. “It took us almost an hour to get to you guys with the animals. They’re all over this entire floor.”</p><p>“Have you ever seen <em>A Silent Place</em>?” Malcolm spoke in a hushed whisper. “It’s like that. If they hear you, they’ll attack. Most people made it behind locked doors, but there are a lot who didn’t. They’re flooding the infirmary, but there aren’t enough doctors there.”</p><p>“What about the rest of the main crew?” Percy questioned.</p><p>“Jason, Frank, and Reyna were in the control room last we checked. They were trying to come up with a plan to get them out.”</p><p>“They need to start on the border,” Percy hissed, eyeing Annabeth slowly rub her stomach.</p><p>“If we start up the border, they’ll be trapped in here with us. We need to kill them or lure them out.”</p><p>Percy groaned, looking towards the door. “Do they need help?”</p><p>“Probably,” Piper admitted. “They sent us to find you two.”</p><p>Percy bit his lip, and then he spoke. “Okay. I’m going to go help. You two stay here with Annabeth.” Percy didn’t waste any time before backtracking towards the door, not really caring whether or not they agreed because he knew they wouldn’t leave her alone regardless.</p><p>By the time Annabeth called out a strained, “Percy!” he was already out the door, leaving her a panicking mess in his wake.</p><p>“Great,” she cried, sitting back on the bed. “There isn’t a plan right now, and he’s already gone to put himself at risk.”</p><p>“He’ll be okay,” Piper assured, sitting on the bed beside her. “We’ll be right here with you. Everything will be okay, and I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”</p><p>Annabeth breathed in an attempt to calm herself, because she could feel herself cresting the wave of pain again. There were already sharp sparks of pain inside her, so she swallowed harshly.</p><p>“I hope so.”</p><hr/><p>Annabeth tried to keep her cool. She really did.</p><p>It was just quite hard to do so when Percy hadn’t shown back up for hours, and she had no idea where he had gone to.</p><p>Annabeth breathed out heavily, pacing around the room to stretch her legs. The pain hadn’t gotten any better, but it hadn’t gotten any worse either which was hopefully a good sign. It was also more… uncomfortable than the last time it had happened, but she’d take discomfort over breathtaking pain any day.</p><p>Malcolm watched her from against the wall and raised an eyebrow at her antics. “Are you doing okay?”</p><p>She bit her lip, nodding as she continued to walk slowly in circles. “I’m just getting a few contractions. It’s fine.”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Malcolm asked, skeptical.</p><p>“It’s been happening for months,” she said, closing her eyes as a particularly painful one came on. “It usually happens when I’m stressed out, and I’d say everything about this is pretty stressful.”</p><p>“You’re thirty-eight weeks, Annabeth,” Piper reminded her. “You should probably sit down.”</p><p>“Sitting down only makes it worse.” Annabeth glanced at the wall where a digital clock altered to fit this planet’s time was mounted. She whimpered. “Where is Percy?”</p><p>“He’s probably with the rest of the crew,” Malcolm tried to comfort. “I really think you should sit down.”</p><p>“I can’t sit down right now because everyone’s gone, and I don’t know what’s happening, because no one would <em>fucking</em> tell me anything!” Another grit of her teeth as another contraction hit.</p><p>“None of us know what’s happening,” Piper said. “Percy’s smart. He’ll be okay on his own.”</p><p>Annabeth dismissed Piper with the wave of her hand. There was a really uncomfortable pressure building up inside of her, and it was nothing she’d ever felt before.</p><p>“You look pale, Annabeth.” Malcolm made a sound of disapproval.</p><p>“That’s to be expected when your boyfriend is gone, and people are probably dying right now.”</p><p>“It’s weird to hear you refer to Percy as your boyfriend,” Malcolm said.</p><p>“What would you prefer I call him?”</p><p>“I don’t know. Baby daddy, maybe?”</p><p>Annabeth forgot what was going on for a fraction of a second and smiled before falling back to a frown. “Stop trying to distract me.”</p><p>“It almost worked,” Malcolm said.</p><p>Annabeth paused her walk, rigid with pain. Her entire body was hot and felt like it was under the pressure of a thousand stones, and she heard herself gasp as her eyes scrunched shut.</p><p>Malcolm sat up against the wall, much more attentive. “Seriously, Annabeth. You need to sit.”</p><p>“I’m okay,” she protested.</p><p>Piper stood up anyways, walking towards her. “You’re in a lot of pain, so come on. Let us just help you–”</p><p>Annabeth shook her off with another “I’m fine,” but then she was doubling over again as the pressure returned and she physically couldn’t stand upright.</p><p>Underneath her, her water broke, splashing to the ground before she had even known what happened. She heard Piper squeak, and Malcolm was shuffling to stand up, but she was much more focused on trying to figure out what had just happened. It took her probably longer than it should’ve before she realized that her water broke.</p><p>“Okay,” Malcolm said, grabbing her arm gently and leading her to the bed. She was much more pliant now as she didn’t know what to think. “Down you go.”</p><p>Annabeth blinked, staring at the puddle on the floor as Piper and Malcolm lowered her onto the mattress. She still couldn’t really comprehend it all. “What was that?”</p><p>“Your water broke,” Piper told her calmly. “You’re going into labor, but it’s okay. You still have a while before–”</p><p>“Percy’s not here!”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Piper soothed, and her voice made Annabeth really want to listen to her words, and let them calm her nerves. “We’re going to go find Percy and tell him what’s going on, okay?”</p><p>Annabeth interpreted her words, and then: “You can’t leave me here!”</p><p>“No,” Piper said. “I will go, and Malcolm will stay here with you, okay?”</p><p>“Okay.” Annabeth licked her lips and nodded. “Okay.”</p><p>Piper looked at Malcolm, and she said something to him that she didn’t catch, before she opened the door and slid through it silently, leaving Annabeth alone with Malcolm.</p><p>He looked at her nervously as she bit down on her tongue and threw her head back.</p><p>“You okay?”</p><p>“My water just broke while the power is out, and Percy is gone.” Annabeth glared at him. “Do I look okay!?”</p><p>“Just checking,” he muttered, crossing his arms and looking away to avoid her wrath.</p><p>Annabeth stilled for a moment, and then she was shaking her head. “I’m not ready for this. This can’t be happening right now.”</p><p>Malcolm jerked his head to her. “You are ready for this, Annabeth. I promise.”</p><p>“No! I still have another two weeks left!”</p><p>Malcolm went to her side and took her hand in his. “It’s happening now and there’s no stopping it. You’re going to be just fine.”</p><p>“I’m not made for a kid!” she sobbed. “I have no idea what I’m doing, and I needed another two weeks!”</p><p>“Hey,” he said gently. “No one ever knows what they’re doing when they bring a kid into the world, but you’re more prepared than anyone I know. You’re going to be amazing parents, and I promise you that you will be okay.”</p><p>“I need Percy,” she cried, squeezing his hand. “I can’t do it without Percy.”</p><p>“Percy’s coming,” he said, consoling her. “He’ll be here soon.”</p><p>“Piper doesn’t know where he is,” she said, adjusting herself on the pillows to be less uncomfortable. With every contraction, she could feel the amniotic fluid leaking out of her and she felt disgusted. “We don’t know if he’ll be here.”</p><p>Malcolm smiled gently. “He’s head over heels in love with you. He’ll be here.”</p><p>Annabeth nodded, and then she was gripping his hand again. Annabeth had read a lot of books in her free time, but none of them had prepared her for this. The contractions didn’t come on this fast, or so they said. They were gradual, except this was nothing like gradual. This was like getting run over by a tractor then thrown into lava, and it just kept getting worse.</p><p>Another half hour passed in silence, nothing except Annabeth’s ragged pants heard within the room, before the door burst open. When she looked, she saw Percy standing there staring at her, a mix of bewildered and concern.</p><p>“You had to go into labor in the middle a power outage?” Percy rushed to her side, and Malcolm moved to let him in.</p><p>“I didn’t choose to,” she said, and she could cry because he was here, and he was okay. She looked behind Percy and noticed both Piper and Will standing there, Will carrying a backpack on his shoulder. Percy must’ve tried to find Will or had already been with him when Piper got to him.</p><p>“Are you okay?” he asked, leaning over to wipe the hair away from her forehead.</p><p>“I’m okay,” she said, closing her eyes as he rubbed her cheek gently and kissed her forehead.</p><p>“Your water broke?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she said, sniffling because she was overwhelmed with emotions. “It was really gross.”</p><p>Percy breathed out air in a laugh. “We’re about to have a baby?”</p><p>“We’re about to have a baby,” she confirmed with a smile, gritting her teeth at another contraction. “I’m sorry it’s happening now.”</p><p>“Hey,” he said, tucking hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry about that now. Everyone else is taking care of it. All you need to do is focus on you.”</p><p>Will stepped up next to Percy, pulling on gloves. “Congratulations, you two. You’re about to have a baby girl in just a few more hours.”</p><p>“You two feel ready?” Malcolm asked.</p><p>“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Percy answered for them. “The timing isn’t the best, but we’ll deal.”</p><p>Annabeth inhaled deeply, trying to shake off the nerves. This was real, and this was happening now. She looked up to Percy and puckered her lips for a kiss, and he obliged. Somewhere in the room, Piper let out an, “Awww!”</p><p>Will, now with the gloves on, looked at the two of them with an encouraging smile on his face. “We ready?”</p><p>Annabeth grabbed Percy’s hand, and she felt him squeeze it three times. An <em>I love you</em>.</p><p>She took another deep breath, and she felt ready, because as long as she had Percy by her side, she’d be able to do anything.</p><p>“Ready.”</p><hr/><p>Annabeth really wished someone couldn’t prepared her for how painful having a baby <em>actually </em>was, especially without an epidural. She felt like she was being dumped in a bucket of ice and her muscles were beginning to spasm and atrophy, and it just kept getting more intense by the second. Each contraction took her entire willpower not to start screaming, because while the creatures roaming around outside likely wouldn’t hear her, no one really wanted to particularly risk that.</p><p>It was also kind of insane, not being inside of the infirmary where all of the medical equipment was. Will had brought a decent number of things, but it was only the essentials which meant nothing could go wrong or they’d be irrevocably screwed. There was no way to get through the ship with a crying newborn and not get caught.</p><p>At some point, Leo decided to pop his head in through the door, and everyone immediately signaled for him to get out, but he waved them off carelessly. “I built some sort of smoke bomb, so they’re all out of the ship now. We closed the door manually, so all is safe.” He looked reluctant then. “I have no idea what’s going on with the barrier.”</p><p>And Percy said, “Then instead of standing here, why don’t you go back to your own bunker and figure out how to <em>fix</em> it?”</p><p>Leo, seemingly not wanting to argue, especially not with someone who was in full on daddy-mode, just gave him a thumbs up and went to slide out of the room, but not before catching sight of Annabeth. “I heard you were having a baby, but I wasn’t sure if I should believe it. Congrats,” he said. “How much longer?”</p><p>“Soon,” Will answered for them. “Sitting at nine centimeters.”</p><p>Annabeth tried not to look directly at Leo, or even in his general direction, because knowing him, he would make some dreadfully untimely jokes. She could tell the people in the room with her were holding back some retorts, specifically Malcolm. She thinks she heard Piper mumble something about Annabeth being ‘<em>probed</em>,’ which is appropriate because they’re on an alien planet, but also not appropriate because there was a hand inside of her and she didn’t appreciate it.</p><p>Percy got down to his knees, grabbing her hand and then placing his chin next to her shoulder. “Almost there.”</p><p>“Don’t remind me,” she said, turning her head to look at him. “Already scared to push a boulder down my waterslide.”</p><p>“It hurts that bad?”</p><p>“Oh, yes. More accurately would be driving a truck out of a tiny ant hole.”</p><p>“It’ll be worth it,” he promised, kissing her cheek.</p><p>“Tell me that when you’re the one doing it,” she joked, breathing heavily. “This sucks.”</p><p>“I’m sorry.” Percy stuck his lower lip out and she could tell that he really did empathize with her.</p><p>Annabeth threw her head back as anther contraction took over, and managed to speak during it, because these contractions were getting out of hand and she would do anything for them to stop. “I don’t want another one.”</p><p>“We don’t have to.” Percy rubbed the top of her belly slowly.</p><p>Annabeth’s fogged brain took a second to render that, and then she realized what he thought she was saying. “Not a kid,” she corrected, strained. “A contraction.”</p><p>“Okay,” he said. “You’re almost done.”</p><p>She nodded and closed her eyes, thinking that maybe if she just prays, some higher power would open her cervix wide and let the baby loose because <em>ouch</em>.</p><p>Before she knew it, Will was pulling himself out of unseemly places for what would be the last time, but then she knew it was because he said, “Ten centimeters,” and she was being set up to push.</p><p>From then on out, everything hit triple speed. If she thought that things were going fast before, then they certainly were now. Will was moving her around like a rag doll, ordering the people behind her to move pillows, and he kept asking her if she was comfortable, but she didn’t care if she was comfortable because she just wanted this to be <em>over</em>.</p><p>“We’re gonna have a baby,” Percy whispered into her ear. The pure, unadulterated glee in his voice was infectious, and she found herself slipping into a grin too.</p><p>“A baby,” she said, her eyelashes fluttering open and staring at the warm feel of his eyes. “Do you feel ready?”</p><p>“I feel nothing but a rush of adrenaline and anticipation,” he said. “If I didn’t know any better, would’ve thought someone stabbed me up with some epinephrine.”</p><p>“Look at you.” Annabeth coughed once, wiping away at her sweaty forehead. “Using the full medical terms.”</p><p>“I have to know what an epi-pen is because my sister was allergic to nuts,” he clarified, but she already knew that. “Point is, I’m exhilarated. I’m on a high because I’m about to have a daughter. Aren’t you?”</p><p>“I’m on a high that is masked by the tension and agony in my bones with every contraction.”</p><p>Percy slid one finger down the side of the face, and she was probably dripping with sweat and disgusting, but if he thought so too, he didn’t say anything. “You’re so strong. You can do this.”</p><p>“Here goes nothing,” she agreed, but it was quite obvious she didn’t believe her words.</p><p>Before she knew it, Will was back tending to her, and then she was pushing. It took every ounce of her strength and every last bit of her focus. It felt like she was being torn apart from the inside, and it was harder than she expected, but she just held onto Percy’s hand and listened to Will’s suggestions.</p><p>She just kept pushing and pushing, just barely noticing the encouraging words being thrown out around her, and at one point she thinks she screamed, but she kept her focus on what was going on right in front of her.</p><p>Will told her it was just one last push. Annabeth didn’t feel like she could give one last push because every part of her ached, burned, trembled, but Percy was with her smoothing over her hair and smiling at her like she gave him the world, like she was his world, so she closed her eyes and did as she was told.</p><p>There was nothing, and then there was, as the infant began wailing at her entrance to the new world. Will pressed the baby to her chest, and she threw her head back, unable to wipe the exhausted, but pleased, smile written across her face. Percy stepped forwards to cut the umbilical cord, and then there was someone else helping her with the afterbirth as Will tended to the baby, checking to make sure her arrival two weeks early wasn’t harmful.</p><p>What felt like minutes, hours, days, sped up and slowed down. The baby, bundled warm in her arms now, was the single most precious thing she’d ever seen. Annabeth hadn’t known that this much love was possible– it was a foreign feeling, and she knew from the way Percy was buzzing that he felt it too.</p><p>The baby on her chest, born at only five pounds, five ounces, was so small and compact. There were the lightest tufts of blonde hair seeping from beneath the hat, and Annabeth didn’t know what color her eyes were, but it didn’t even matter because her baby was here, snuggled up warm in the blankets and surrounded by only the purest of love.</p><p>Her parents gazed at her, utterly in love, and Annabeth started crying tears of joy because this was her baby. A baby she hadn’t originally wanted at such an inconvenient time, a baby that she never expected herself to have, especially not with Percy. A baby. <em>Her and Percy’s</em> baby. She doesn’t know how she could’ve ever been scared because this – it was <em>otherworldly</em>. Her heart clenched as the baby moved, and when she looked to Percy to see if he noticed it too, he had a permanent smile plastered to his face.</p><p>She understood the love that every parent feels for their child, and she had no words. She would never be able to even begin describing the emotions she felt, so she didn’t. Instead, she just stared at the infant, taking ever contour of her face in. The small curve of her nose took her breath away, and the small wrinkle of her lips made her stomach flutter.</p><p>Percy reached his hand to gently touch his child’s back, and then he looked at her. His eyes were gleaming, and she knew hers were too.</p><p>“We have a baby,” he said quietly, hand moving to rest against Annabeth’s cheek. “Our baby.”</p><p>“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “We actually have a daughter.”</p><p>Percy’s smile fell into a soft grin. “We do. I love you so much.”</p><p>“I love you too.”</p><p>“Do we still like the name?” he asked, looking down at the baby again.</p><p>“I love it so much more,” she said. “It’s perfect.”</p><p>“Last name still Jackson?”</p><p>“If you <em>insist</em>,” she said, but her voice had a teasing edge to it.</p><p>“Our daughter–” Percy blew air out through his nose in a laugh. “She’s ours.”</p><p>“She’s our perfect little baby.”</p><p>“She’s our very own Sophia Jackson.”</p><p>In that moment, everything else faded from her mind. She didn’t care that there was a camp in shambles outside, or that they had no idea how to fix it. Inside the safety of this room, the only thing that mattered was her baby. Everything was a mess, and it might be for a while, but it would be okay because she had her baby here with her and that would always be enough for her.</p><hr/><p>Annabeth was watching as Percy sat on the bed, holding Sophia in his arms. He hadn’t even looked away in a while, and she found it endearing. She did want to hold her again, but Percy had been so patient with her before and it was his turn, so she settled for watching their interactions, wondering what it would be like in one year or two when she was learning to walk and talk.</p><p>The main crew was in her room now, discussing how to fix the problem of the barrier. It was the main seven, plus Hazel, Malcolm, and Chiron, and they were there so that Percy and Annabeth could pitch in, but they were much too preoccupied. Neither of them were listening to a word anyone else was saying.</p><p>“They’re not even listening,” someone said, amused.</p><p>“Give them a break. They just had a baby,” someone else pitched in.</p><p>“Oh, I know. I think it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.”</p><p>“They’re so distracted they’re in la-la-land.”</p><p>“Have you held the kid? She’s the cutest.”</p><p>Annabeth tore her eyes from Percy to look at the rest of the group, all of whom had their eyes unabashedly trained to the couple. Some of them averted their gazes when they caught Annabeth watching, but others (Malcolm and Piper: the unashamed twins) did not.</p><p>“Can I help you?” Annabeth asked.</p><p>“We’re just looking at the baby,” Frank, the sweetest kid ever, and also one of the most innocent, said. “She’s wonderful.”</p><p>“I can’t believe my nonbiological little sister had a baby,” Malcolm said, dazed.</p><p>“We really needed a ray of sunshine in these dark times,” Reyna said seriously. “P.S. Sophia’s a cute same.”</p><p>Annabeth smirked. “Thanks.”</p><p>“In these dark and uncertain times, a baby can really be the light,” Leo joked, fidgeting with a tablet on his lap.</p><p>“Which is why we need to fix the barrier as soon as possible,” Annabeth said with a raised eyebrow. “Come on, I’ll help. What were you saying?”</p><p>“Oh.” Leo fumbled around the data nervously. “It’s not a mechanical problem and it’s not anything underground. We’ve tested each wireless signal a million times, and we’ve rebooted everything.”</p><p>Jason cleared his throat. “Plus, we’ve also replaced a lot of parts, so it’s not any specific part of the ship. We thought maybe it was damage from the original trip, but then it started taking place outside of the ship, so it couldn’t have been that.”</p><p>Percy looked up, and Annabeth was surprised he was actually listening. “The coding isn’t wrong?”</p><p>“We’ve had Lee Fletcher check it time and time again.” Jason scratched behind his ear. “It’s not the coding.”</p><p>People kept shouting out suggestions, and others kept turning them down. Annabeth stayed silent, thinking about it. They were finally giving her all the information, and it was a bit late to do so, but better late than never, so she was coming up with alternative explanations. None immediately came to mind, so she started talking out loud to everyone else.</p><p>“Okay, so if it’s not an underground phenomenon, and it’s not the suns and atmosphere messing with the signals, then–”</p><p>“What?” Leo asked, sitting up straight.</p><p>“<em>What?</em>”</p><p>“What do you mean it’s not the suns or the atmosphere?”</p><p>“…I mean that <em>surely</em> you would have checked to see if the new placement of the suns and the different atmospheric pressures were causing everything to fail,” Annabeth said forcefully. “Especially considering the fact that we are a group of <em>astrophysicists</em> and <em>astronomers</em> who dealt with space for a living.”</p><p>A pause.</p><p>“You didn’t check to see if the fact that we had to suns had anything to do with the signals!?”</p><p>“I’m sorry!” Leo squeaked, tapping away at his tablet. “I’ll, uh, do that now.”</p><p>“I would’ve thought that in a group of two hundred people, at least one would’ve thought to look up!”</p><p>“You didn’t look up either,” Jason pointed out, clearly embarrassed that he hadn’t thought back to the most basic aspects of space.</p><p>“Do you really want to go there?” Annabeth threatened. “No one would tell me anything about this so I obviously wouldn’t come up with an answer. But come on, if no one thought ‘Hey, this planet sure is different. Maybe the problems are stemming from the fact that the transmitters are set up for Earth’s one sun, but this planet has two!’ then you’re all dumb as hell.”</p><p>“I’ve looked at the system, and it seems that it may have played a part…” Leo said, cautious as he spoke to the group. “I’ll have it fixed immediately, but I would like to point out that I am not the only person at fault because even your baby-daddy didn’t figure that out, and he’s smarter than everyone except you.”</p><p>“This is why I’m the leader of the camp.” Annabeth shook her head because how the hell did no one think of this? They really should’ve told her everything and she would’ve been able to prevent this a long time ago.</p><p>“A group of fucking <em>astrophysicists</em>!”</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Six Months Later</strong>
</p><p>True to Annabeth’s words, the problem really had been the way everything was set up. The two suns were messing with the way the magnetic field of the planet worked. The different atmosphere had also affected the radio waves which had in turn affected wireless signals and led to the destruction of the electric barrier. A few tweaks here and there and everything was completely back to normal.</p><p>Annabeth still couldn’t believe that no one had thought of that being the problem. People had been sent out of the camp and people had gotten very hurt, and it had all been for nothing. Not a single person had thought to look at the sky and notice the difference from Earth (two suns. How does not one person think about there being two suns instead of one?) and she could barely even fathom the stupidity of the group.</p><p>Even Percy hadn’t thought of that, and she really loved him, but even she would never let him forget such a thoughtless mistake. He was kidding himself if he thought she’d let him live it down, or anyone else live it down either. She had literally just given birth and solved a life-or-death crisis within hours of each other. Her fiancé would never hear the end of that one.</p><p>Oh, and that had also happened. Percy told her that he had planned to propose to her after she had the baby, and everything was under a little more control, but he ended up not waiting that long. After she had figured out the problem that no one else could, everyone left the room to try and fix it, but Percy had stayed. She smiled, remembering the way he had done it.</p><p>
  <em>Percy was sitting on the edge of the bed again, watching Annabeth feed Sophia. He was extremely antsy, and he kept pulling on his fingers and biting his lip. She could tell he wanted to say something but was too nervous. She decided to just give him a boost.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Do you need to say something?” Annabeth tilted her head. “You’re acting weird.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And then–</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Marry me.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Annabeth choked on air. She ended up sputtering a few times, because that was definitely not what she was expecting him to say. “What?”</em>
</p><p><em>“Oh, uh… marry me,” he repeated, standing up and getting nervous again. “That’s not how I planned to do that, I promise, but you just had a baby, and I’m so in love with you that I–”</em> </p><p>
  <em>“—Percy,” she interrupted. “You’re asking me to marry you?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yes.” He laughed nervously. “I just– that was amazing, and I don’t want to wait any longer than I have to, and I know you were probably expecting more, but I love you and I want to do this now.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Annabeth looked at him. He really wanted to do this, and he wanted to do it now. He wanted to marry her. When she didn’t say anything, Percy got worked up again, thinking that he probably just screwed everything up. I mean, who proposes right after they just had a kid? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I–”</em>
</p><p><em>“Yes.”</em> </p><p>
  <em>Percy paused, not quite believing his ears. “Yes?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yes, Percy,” she said, laughing. “I want to marry you.”</em>
</p><p><em>Somehow, Percy’s smile grew even more. “You want to marry me,” he copied. “I promise I’ll give you a better proposal, but–”</em> </p><p><em>“This one’s perfect,” she said. And it was true. It wasn’t a big proposal filled with rose petals and proclamations of love, but it was real. It was raw feelings and honesty, it was a moment of love, a moment of </em>being<em> in love, and it was better than any other proposal she would’ve ever been able to imagine.</em></p><p>
  <em>Percy had slid his hand into his pocket, and then he pulled out a singular ring. She didn’t even know that he had been carrying a ring around. She doesn’t know where he even got a ring.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Where did you…?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It was my mom’s,” he said sheepishly. “She gave it to me to bring, saying something about ‘mother knowing best.’ I guess she had been right.” He grabbed her left ring finger and slid it on. It was a bit loose, but Hazel would be able to fix it– she was excellent with all things jewels.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It’s perfect, Percy.” When she lifted the ring up to her face, it was shimmering in the few rays of sunlight that drifted into the room through the window. The stone was large and a square cut, and the white diamond propped in the center took her breath away. “I love you so much.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I love you more,” he said, and then he kissed her. </em>
</p><p><em>“I can’t believe we’re getting married,” Annabeth said. “It’s just– I never would’ve imagined this life for myself, but I love it.”</em> </p><p>
  <em>“It’s everything I could’ve ever dreamed of and more,” Percy stated.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Annabeth grinned, and she could not agree more.</em>
</p><p>Annabeth was brought back to reality as Percy bumped her shoulder gently. She looked around the field of grass she was sitting in, and then her eyes fell onto Sophia, crawling around in wonder of the world around her.</p><p>Even six months made such a difference as the buildings were complete and the barrier was back up. There were beautiful plants being grown and the grass was as luscious as ever. Even her daughter was beginning to learn so much more, and Annabeth couldn’t believe she was already crawling.</p><p>“Whatcha thinking about?” Percy asked, tapping lightly on her forehead. “You’ve got your thinking face on.”</p><p>“I’m thinking about everything,” she said. “The camp’s complete, and everything is amazing. We’re engaged, and Sophia can already crawl, and it’s just– perfect.”</p><p>“It all feels like a dream.”</p><p>Annabeth thought that was an appropriate sentiment.</p><p>“I just–,” Percy continued. “I have everything I could’ve ever wanted. I have an amazing group of friends, I have a <em>really</em> hot wife-to-be, and the perfect daughter. It’s everything.”</p><p>Percy wrapped his arm around Annabeth’s waist, and she leaned back on him, her hands threading through the soft blades of grass. They sat in silence, watching Sophia shriek excitedly as she found a tiny flower.</p><p>“Are you ever scared?” Annabeth asked, breaking the silence. “I love the life we have, but I’m worried something might happen.”</p><p>“I’m scared all the time,” he admitted. “I’m scared to lose you, or Sophia. I’m scared that something is going to happen, and it’ll be out of my control, but that’s just being a parent, Annabeth. Life is going to happen whether or not you want it to.”</p><p>“What if something happens again?”</p><p>“You can’t live life scared of what might be. You have to focus on what you have at the moment, and right now, that’s us.” Percy kissed her temple. “When did you become so philosophical?”</p><p>“Last week, maybe,” she joked, leaning in close.</p><p>“Well,” he continued. “There will be other problems that pop up, for sure. It’s wouldn’t be the crazy game of life if it wasn’t.”</p><p>“I guess not.”</p><p>“Whatever happens, we’ll solve them one at a time.”</p><p>Annabeth smothered a smile into his shirt. It was a crazy journey to get where they are now, but it was finally at a close. If you had told Annabeth millions of years ago that she’d be engaged to the love of her life and with a daughter, she would’ve laughed in your face. Now though? She wouldn’t have it any other way.</p><p>Triangulum was their home, and it would be forever. It was finally safe, and it was where her life really, truly began. Life was insane, and there would no doubt be many more technical issues, but for now:</p><p>This was their lovely life, living here in Triangulum.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>To my beloved astrophysicist: Happy Graduation! You’re going to be the best astrophysicist in existence! I hope you enjoyed my cool and very inaccurate story! I pulled most of this out of my ass, so please allow the astrophysicist side of you to enjoy even with the inaccuracies. (I’m already thinking of making a part 2. Ideas are flooding my head and it would be so cool and oh my god help me. Should I? Look what you’ve done to me.) Anyways, I’m so proud of you! Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>